Web Desk: Government has launched an electronic pension portal in collaboration with the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR), seeking to digitise pension services and make retirement processing faster and more convenient for government employees.
The new platform is designed to reduce the paperwork and repeated visits to government offices traditionally associated with pension cases. Under the digital system, authorities aim to process retirement claims within days rather than months.
Employees and pensioners will also be able to monitor the progress of their cases online, improving visibility throughout the process.
Under the new arrangements, pensioners will no longer be limited to receiving payments through designated branches of the National Bank.
Instead, pension payments can be deposited directly into commercial bank accounts, giving pensioners greater flexibility in accessing their funds.
In addition, the portal will send SMS notifications to registered mobile numbers when pension payments are credited or deductions are recorded.
Government employees nearing retirement can have their personal and employment information entered into the portal by their respective departments before they leave service.
Once the required information has been uploaded, the employee will receive a unique Pension ID. The identification number will allow them to access pension-related services and follow the status of their retirement case online.
To register, employees must have their data entered by their department and provide their Computerized National Identity Card number, personal number and an active mobile phone number.
The government has also introduced biometric verification for pensioners as part of the digital overhaul.
Instead of submitting a physical Life Certificate at a bank twice a year, pensioners can verify their identity every six months through fingerprint authentication at a bank branch or a biometric-enabled ATM.
This measure is intended to simplify the verification process while helping authorities maintain accurate pension records.
Meanwhile, the government is developing mobile applications that could eventually allow pensioners to complete identity verification from home.
The proposed system could use a smartphone camera for facial recognition or fingerprint-based verification, potentially reducing the need for pensioners to visit banks.
However, pensioners who fail to complete the required biometric verification within the prescribed period could have their pension accounts temporarily blocked. The accounts would be restored once successful verification is completed.
The digital pension initiative forms part of broader government efforts to modernise public services, reduce administrative delays and make pension processing more accessible to retired employees.
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