ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — The Pakistani capital is set to become the country’s first fully cashless city, with officials outlining a bold blueprint to digitise all public transactions, from taxes and utility bills to parking fees and land transfers. The move, led by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), is part of a broader push to modernise governance, enhance transparency, and reduce the use of physical currency in civic life.
CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa chaired a high-level meeting on 31 July to unveil a detailed roadmap that integrates mobile app payments, QR code-based systems, and real-time ERP links with banks. The plan, officials say, is designed to eliminate manual documentation and cash handling across public offices.
One of the first phases will introduce smart parking systems in high-traffic zones such as Blue Area and Food Street. These will feature M-Tag entry gates, congestion-based dynamic pricing, digital meters, and mandatory app payments. Vehicles lacking M-Tags will be restricted from accessing certain zones, while real-time parking reservations will be enabled through QR code scanning and mobile applications.
The CDA also plans to digitise property-related services, utility payments, and licensing workflows through centralised platforms. Retailers, restaurants, and private parking operators will be linked into the new system using QR-based merchant tools. Officials aim to extend this integration through Islamabad’s core business districts, later expanding into residential and peri-urban sectors.
Internally, the CDA has started rolling out SAP-based ERP systems for payroll, procurement, budgeting, and auditing. Authorities say this will improve institutional accountability, reduce errors in financial management, and bring oversight to previously opaque processes.
The transformation is aligned with the federal government’s broader national digital agenda. Earlier in July, the Prime Minister directed a fourfold increase in digital payment usage across Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Businesses in these regions have been instructed to implement digital payment tools to boost compliance and consumer confidence.
Public education campaigns, merchant onboarding, and incentives for small business participation are expected to smooth the transition. The CDA is also investing in free Wi-Fi zones in key areas and plans to provide onboarding support for older demographics and small vendors unfamiliar with digital platforms.
Officials believe Islamabad’s example could serve as a model for other urban centres in Pakistan. The CDA’s strategy outlines key benefits of the shift, including increased transparency in government transactions, reduced waiting times and inefficiencies, broader digital inclusion, and the first real steps toward building a smart city ecosystem.
