KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank has set a target to increase bank account coverage in the country to 75 percent of the adult population in next three years, its governor said on Tuesday, aiming to reduce the gender gap to 25 percent by 2028.
Pakistan, with a population of 240 million, is home to one of the world’s largest unbanked populations, with around 64 percent of its adult population having a bank account, according to central bank figures.
This has increased from only 47 percent in 2018, while the gender gap has also been narrowed from 47 percent to 34 percent in recent years.
Speaking at the Pakistan Banking Summit 2025, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad said financial inclusion was one of the core functions of the central bank.
“To achieve these ambitious targets, we want to enhance the depth, breadth, and quality of financial services, particularly for low-income individuals, the microfinance sector, SMEs (small, medium enterprises) and agriculture,” he said.
The development comes as part of the SBP’s Strategic Vision 2028, which focuses on promoting inclusive and sustainable access to financial services, building an innovative digital financial ecosystem, and enhancing efficiency, fairness and stability of the financial system.
Ahmad called on the banking industry to reassess its business strategy to “focus on mobilizing deposits and increasing credit to the private sector particularly the SMEs and agriculture sectors.”
“Our banks need to rethink their current business model, reassess their priorities, and play a more active role in financial intermediation,” he said.
Pakistan, which has faced an economic meltdown in recent years, is currently undertaking reforms to document and digitize economy and broaden its tax base.
The central bank chief urged the banking industry to increase their usage of artificial intelligence, based on cellular and satellite data, to provide cost-effective alternative delivery channels to enhance access, usage and quality of financial services.
He reiterated the need to “work on a war footing” to help businesses digitize their payments by providing digital transactional access, preferably via secure portals.
Pakistan aims to increase bank account coverage to 75 percent in next three years
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Pakistan aims to increase bank account coverage to 75 percent in next three years
- Only 64 percent of adult population in Pakistan currently have bank accounts
- Pakistan has been making efforts to document its economy to broaden tax base
Pakistan offloaded over 66,150 passengers this year amid crackdown on illegal migration
- Last year Pakistan offloaded around 35,000 individuals from airports, FIA director-general tells parliamentary committee
- Federal Investigation Agency chief says surge in offloading is a countermeasure against fraudulent migration rings
ISLAMABAD: Authorities offloaded 66,154 passengers from Pakistani airports this year compared to last year’s figure of 35,000, officials told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, attributing the surge to the government’s countermeasures against illegal migration.
The disclosure was made during a session of the Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, chaired by lawmaker Syed Rafiullah. The committee’s meeting was convened amid complaints by several passengers that they were offloaded from airports across the country despite possessing valid travel documents.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a 14-member committee, headed by the federal minister for overseas Pakistanis, to investigate the reports and suggest measures to streamline immigration procedures this month.
“The director-general [of Federal Investigation Agency] told that 66,154 passengers were offloaded this year, a significant increase from the 35,000 offloaded the previous year,” Rafiullah told Arab News.
DG FIA Riffat Mukhtar informed the committee that the majority of passengers offloaded— approximately 51,000--were stopped due to questions about the veracity of their travel documents, which primarily included work, tourist and Umrah visas.
“The surge in offloading is a countermeasure against fraudulent migration rings,” Mukhtar explained to the committee.
Pakistan has also intensified its crackdown against individuals after several reports suggested passengers from the South Asian country were exploiting their Umrah visas to engage in begging.
Mukhtar disclosed to the committee that 56,000 individuals involved in “organized begging” were deported from Saudi Arabia during the year.
He also cited growing restrictions from the UAE and emerging illegal migration routes toward Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia, including Cambodia and Thailand, as reasons for offloading a large number of people this year from airports.
“Passengers are offloaded on the basis of document verification, data checks and online authentication,” Mukhar said as per local media reports.
“No passenger was cleared under political influence or VIP pressure.”
The committee, meanwhile, called on the FIA to balance enforcement with a strong redressal mechanism for passengers.
“There must be a mechanism and SOP for redressal of Pakistanis offloaded incorrectly. Enforcement without an accessible remedy damages both people and reputation,” Rafiullah said.
The NA committee members directed the Ministry of Interior, FIA and Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to immediately publish standard operating procedures and complaint mechanisms at all airport immigration counters.
The committee also reviewed the operations of the Community Welfare Attaché (CWA) network in Gulf countries.
CWAs are government officials posted abroad who safeguard Pakistani migrant workers’ interests.
The committee was informed that CWAs handled more than 55,000 welfare cases in 2025, including tens of thousands of repatriations, emergency travel documents, prison visits and legal aid interventions.
Officials told the committee that a risk-analysis unit has been created and a mobile application called “IMMI” is being developed to improve pre-departure screening and real-time monitoring of immigration counters.
Members recommended immediate interoperability between FIA systems and the E-Protector platform to ensure verification and that “ok-to-board” checks are completed before passengers reach the airport.
The FIA shared that around 8.5 million Pakistanis traveled abroad in 2025 while 226 cases of various immigration-related offenses were registered. The agency reported that over the past three months, 450 people attempting illegal entry into Iran were arrested.
Several Bangladeshi nationals traveling on Pakistani tourist visas were also caught attempting to enter Europe illegally, the committee was told.
