May 5, 2021

On Monday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister SAPM Syed Zulfikar Bukhari said that Roshan Digital Accounts will eventually be turned into digital banking.
In an online live session from the CPG dialogue forum titled “The Way Forward for Pakistan,” he was speaking with Azfar Ahsan, the founder of Corporate Pakistan Group (CPG) and Nutshell Group. Concerning the hundi problem, he said that the government is trying to divert overseas Pakistanis away from the use of hundi and hawala, but that in order to do so, the government must balance the ease of transfer and we are working on it.
“With Roshan Digital Accounts, we are working to introduce different incentives programs to curb these indirect means of transferring money to the country.” In response to a query about assistance to SMEs planned by Pakistanis living abroad, Bukhari said that all attempts are being made to make it a one-window process that allows for both repatriation of funds and ease of doing business.
He said that he is attempting to place the whole operation under the control of the prime minister in order to make quick decisions. The Bank of Punjab and Roshan Digital Account are working on funding for SMEs, he added.
Bukhari also addressed the government’s criticism of its restrictions on cell phone imports, claiming that as a result of these restrictions, three factories will be manufacturing mobile phones locally in the near future.
He believes that the tourism industry in Pakistan has a bright future because visitors are now flocking to the country not just during the summer but also in significant numbers during the winter.