Govt directs banks to implement revised SOP for digital pension Proof of Life

According to Mettis Global, the federal government has formally removed commercial banks from checking pensioners' identity through biometrics and digital life certificates. The State Bank of Pakistan sent the revised procedure to bank and microfinance bank heads, asking them to confirm receipt and apply it immediately. Under the new setup, NADRA sends a Digital Life Signal straight to the Controller General of Accounts and the Military Accountant General, without going through banks.

Pensions will now be paid only through the Direct Credit System, and the physical Disburser's Half process has been scrapped. The fixed March and September verification cycle is gone too, and pensioners now need biometric checks no less often than every six months, through the Pak-ID app or authorised channels. Missing verification alone will not make an account dormant; after six consecutive months without a valid signal, it moves to suspense status, with payments paused until a valid signal restores it automatically.

Banks must reactivate accounts of pensioners marked dormant before August 22, 2026 once they complete NADRA verification or receive a CGA or MAG credit from September 2026 onwards. A manual fallback remains for those with limited digital access, advanced age or medical conditions, handled through district accounts offices or pension facilitation centres. The SOP also sets monthly pension roll timelines and quarterly reconciliation, with any mismatches cleared within six weeks, and it supersedes all earlier versions.