ISLAMABAD: The government has introduced a new digital E-Pension Portal to make the pension process easier and more convenient for retired government employees, particularly senior citizens.
Obtaining a pension after retirement has traditionally been a lengthy and exhausting process for government employees in Pakistan, with many elderly pensioners required to make repeated visits to government offices for months.
The government, in collaboration with the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR), has now digitised the pension system through the new portal, with the aim of resolving pension-related matters within days instead of months and reducing the need for pensioners to wait in queues.
Online Pension Tracking
The portal will allow retired employees to track the status of their pension cases online from home. Pensioners will be able to see the current status of their applications and determine where their files are in the processing system.
Direct Transfer to Bank Accounts
Under the new system, pension payments will be transferred directly to pensioners’ commercial bank accounts instead of requiring them to receive payments through a designated branch of the National Bank.
Biometric Verification
The new system also introduces biometric verification for pensioners.
Previously, pensioners were required to visit a bank twice a year to submit a life certificate confirming that they were still alive. Under the new arrangement, this process will be replaced by biometric verification.
Pensioners will be able to verify their fingerprints every six months at a nearby bank branch or a biometric-enabled ATM.
Mobile-Based Verification
The government is also working on mobile applications that could allow pensioners to complete verification from home by scanning their face or fingerprints using a mobile phone camera.
Failure to Complete Verification
According to the information provided, failure to complete biometric verification within the stipulated period may result in the temporary blocking of a pension account. The account can subsequently be restored after the required verification is completed.
How to Register for the E-Pension Portal
To become part of the online pension system, employees will have to have their information uploaded to the digital portal through their respective departments before retirement.
Employees will need a computerised national identity card (CNIC), a personal phone number and an active mobile number for registration.
Once the data entry process is completed, the employee will be issued a unique pension ID, enabling them to access the digital pension system.
