Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday welcomed the introduction of a digital Proof of Life Certificate facility for pensioners, calling it an important move to make the verification process more convenient for millions of people, particularly senior citizens and those with physical disabilities.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the prime minister said the newly introduced service would be available to civilian as well as military pensioners, with elderly people, women and persons with disabilities among those expected to benefit from it.
He said the launch was a source of immense satisfaction for him because the initiative would provide meaningful assistance to pensioners and help reduce the difficulties they face in completing mandatory verification procedures.
PM Shehbaz stressed that supporting elderly citizens and people living with disabilities should be viewed as more than a government obligation, describing it as a form of service to humanity.
He praised the federal ministers, government officials and institutions whose collective efforts made the digital facility possible and congratulated them on bringing the modern verification mechanism into operation.
The prime minister also acknowledged the contributions of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, PM’s Adviser Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah and the chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in the development of the system.
He explained that the use of digital technology would allow pensioners to establish their proof of life remotely through facial recognition and a dedicated digital application.
As a result, they would no longer have to make repeated trips to banks for the verification process.
He noted that the new arrangement would be particularly helpful for elderly, physically weak and disabled pensioners, who previously had to travel for verification every six months.
The prime minister also commended NADRA for making the facility available without imposing any charges on pensioners, saying the decision would extend the benefits of the service to millions of beneficiaries.
PM Shehbaz thanked all individuals and institutions that played a role in bringing the initiative to fruition and prayed that their efforts would receive divine reward.
He added that the people benefiting from the facility would continue to remember them in their prayers.
Speaking at the ceremony, Finance Minister Aurangzeb said that the government is advancing its digitalisation agenda to make public services more convenient for citizens and strengthen transparency within state institutions, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said that a range of government services had already been converted to digital platforms, allowing people to access them without facing unnecessary difficulties.
The finance minister cited NADRA’s PakID mobile application as a notable example of the facilities being provided through digital technology.
Aurangzeb also highlighted the problems encountered by pensioners who are required to visit banks twice a year to complete biometric verification.
He said the process becomes particularly challenging for elderly pensioners when their fingerprints fail to match or cannot be authenticated by the system.
The finance minister said PM Shehbaz had taken notice of the matter and instructed the concerned ministries to develop an effective mechanism to address biometric verification problems faced by pension recipients.
He further stated that banks would be informed that under the proposed system, a pensioner’s payments should not be discontinued simply because their fingerprints could not be verified.
The finance minister said that the move would help prevent pensioners from suffering interruptions in receiving their entitled payments.