CM Gandapur unveils digital identity system ‘Khyber Pass’

PESHAWAR: The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Tuesday officially launched a revolutionary digital identity system called ‘Khyber Pass’.

A formal ceremony to launch the system was held at the Chief Minister’s House on Tuesday where Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur formally launched the Khyber Pass digital platform.

The ceremony was attended by Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Technology Shafqat Ayaz, members of the provincial cabinet, members of the provincial assembly and senior government officials.

Khyber Pass is the first of its kind digital identity system in Pakistan based on the QR code method. It will be integrated with NADRA and other government databases, allowing citizens to access all their identity-related information online. With this system, citizens will no longer need to provide personal information repeatedly to avail government services.

Residents will be able to access all public services offered by the provincial government through a single Khyber Pass digital account. The unified QR code will act as a gateway for services like health, education, taxation, licensing, property records and many more, eliminating the need for multiple registrations or submission of forms.

Citizens will no longer need to visit different offices or wait in long queues, as services will be available online through a single digital ID.

Addressing the ceremony, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur congratulated the entire team of KP Information Technology Board on the launch of this innovative digital system.

Terming it a revolutionary step towards ensuring easy access to government services, he said that initially three services are being provided under the Khyber Pass platform. In the near future, all provincial services including Sehat Card (Health Card) will be integrated into the system. The Chief Minister stressed the importance of digitizing the government system to ensure transparency, merit and better service delivery as per the vision of Chairman Imran Khan.

He remarked that “We are implementing the vision of a digital Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by making governance more accessible and efficient for both the government and the citizens.”

He said that the provincial government has already digitized several sectors and it is showing promising results. Giving an example, he said that the digitization of challans alone has saved the government about Rs. 20000. 3 billion.

Similarly, by starting a strict monitoring of health cards after coming to power, the government was able to reduce healthcare expenditure by Rs. 20000. 13 billion despite an increase in service utilization.

The Chief Minister further highlighted that the provincial treasury, which was almost empty when his government took office, now has Rs. 2000000. 190 billion. He added, “We are strengthening the IT department and accelerating the journey of digital transformation, and I am confident that we will achieve our goals soon.”

Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency and merit through effective use of information technology, which he said would help restore public confidence.

He stressed that the government’s vision is to provide services at the doorstep of citizens and Khyber Pass will play a key role in achieving this goal.