Pakistan expands biometric data collection in telecom sector

Pakistan continues its push forward to introduce digital identity into governance, this time by strengthening biometric-based identity verification in the telecom sector.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) plans to boost its biometric verification by moving beyond fingerprints to include facial and iris biometric data, according to a recent announcement. Aside from the telecommunication regulator, the initiative includes Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs), the Ministry of IT and Telecom (MoIT&T), and NADRA, the central body responsible for the collection, storage and management of biometric data in Pakistan.

The move is part of the newly introduced National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework (NR&BP) which aims to mitigate flaws in the South Asian country’s identity management system, including providing a unified registration system. One of its key tasks will be to unify databases under the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and other agencies to secure accurate records.

The National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework will also help establish the country’s digital ID. In December last year, the federal government tabled the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill which provides the legal structure for digital identity for each Pakistani citizen.

The country has also established two new bodies tasked with assisting the digital ID implementation: The public sector-led National Digital Commission, which includes the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), and the industry-led Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA).

Information Technology and Telecom Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja promised that Pakistan is committed to transparency and accountability in digital platforms. Pakistan aims to leverage AI to enhance public services, drive economic growth, and build a sustainable digital ecosystem, Khawaja said during the Leap 2025 conference in Riyadh last week.

Pakistan has been boosting its digital economy and digital public infrastructure (DPI), including the World Bank-funded Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP) which aligns with the government’s 2018 Digital Pakistan Policy. The project focuses on creating responsible data-sharing protocols, digital authentication systems and verifiable credentials.

In January, NADRA hosted a high-level World Bank delegation in Islamabad, sharing its updates on the implementation of DEEP.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  Digital Pakistan  |  NADRA  |  Pakistan  |  telecom  |  World Bank