DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday reviewed the proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Digital Payments Bill, 2026, stressing the need for stronger legal provisions on enforcement and penalties before finalising the legislation.
The committee, chaired by MPA Arbab Muhammad Usman Khan, met at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat with members of the committee, officials of the Finance Department, the Law Department, the Advocate General’s Office, the Bank of Khyber and the Assembly Secretariat in attendance. The committee carried out a clause-by-clause review of the proposed legislation, which seeks to promote digital payment systems across the province and establish a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for their implementation.
Members examined amendments proposed during the previous meeting, while several lawmakers raised concerns over various provisions of the bill and suggested changes to improve its effectiveness.
The committee emphasised the inclusion of clear legal provisions relating to enforcement and penalties to strengthen compliance and ensure effective implementation of the proposed law. It was decided that further consultations on the bill would continue at the committee’s next meeting.
The proposed law envisages defining the responsibilities of digital payment service providers, making QR code displays mandatory for businesses, requiring commercial establishments to accept digital payments, promoting financial inclusion, ensuring consumer and data protection, establishing a complaint redressal mechanism and empowering the government to frame rules for implementation.
The committee chairman Arbab Muhammad Usman Khan directed the Finance Department to incorporate all practical recommendations made by the committee into the draft legislation and present the revised bill at the next meeting before it is finalised and submitted with the committee’s recommendations.
