If you pay a fee or bill at an Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) or Capital Development Authority (CDA) office, you will need a digital method from 30 November, because those departments will no longer take cash. Every shop and business in the capital then has to be set up for digital payments by 31 December 2026.
State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry gave the dates at a review meeting of the Cashless Islamabad project. CDA Chairman Suhail Ashraf, banking representatives and other officials attended, and the banks pledged their cooperation.
By his count 26,000 Islamabad merchants already accept digital payments. The rollout is meant to reach everyone, whether a roadside stall or a big shopping centre. He said the aim is clearer finances, easier tax monitoring and a faster payment process, and that the project is moving on the prime minister’s and interior minister’s instructions.
The announcement follows the push for 100% digital payments from the prime minister, and the finance ministry’s pledge to keep subsidising Raast QR fees for shops. For an Islamabad shopkeeper, the practical step is getting a QR code or digital payment account from a bank before the year ends.
Chaudhry also stressed that every relevant institution and stakeholder has to be consulted for the project to work, and said all the bodies involved will work together to turn the capital into a modern digital city. No penalties for shops that miss the deadline were mentioned in the announcement.
The first test comes on 30 November, when the counters at ICT and CDA offices switch to digital-only, with the wider shop deadline following on 31 December.
