Islamabad cashless: no cash at ICT and CDA counters after 30 November, merchants by 31 December

Islamabad will stop accepting cash at Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and Capital Development Authority (CDA) departments after 30 November 2026, and the government wants every merchant in the city on a digital payments system by 31 December.

The decision was taken on Friday 13 November at a meeting on the Cashless Capital project chaired by State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry, and the Ministry of Interior announced it in a statement on X. Dawn reported the details.

The two dates that matter

• 30 November: no cash payments at any ICT administration or CDA department. Anyone paying a government fee in the capital after that date will need a digital route instead.
• 31 December: the target for bringing all Islamabad merchants into the cashless system.

What is already in place

About 26,000 merchants in Islamabad are already connected to the digital payments system, according to the report. The ministry says digital payment facilities will be provided "at every level, from street vendors to major business centres".

The government says the aims are financial transparency, better tax monitoring and a cleaner transaction system. The meeting was attended by CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf, banking sector representatives and senior officials, and the bankers present pledged full cooperation.

The wider plan

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has promised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Islamabad will be Pakistan's first cashless city. Last week the prime minister directed officials to prepare a roadmap for a fully digital payments system across the country, and payments in most federal and provincial government institutions are expected to be digitised by December 2026.

What is not yet known

The published details do not name the payment methods or apps that will be accepted, and they do not say how street vendors will be set up, whether any exemptions apply, or what happens to a merchant that misses the 31 December target. We will update this page when the ministry or CDA issues a notification with those details.

What to do now

If you pay CDA or ICT fees in cash, check with your bank or the relevant office before 30 November which digital channel they will take. Our cash withdrawal tax calculator shows what a bank cash withdrawal costs a non-filer, and our Islamabad page lists related coverage.