Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has formally inaugurated a fully digital licence management system for the issuance of driving licences under the province’s transport department, marking a significant step in the provincial government’s broader agenda of introducing technology-driven reforms across public service delivery. The chief minister described the initiative as a practical implementation of the digitisation vision that the province has been working toward, and said the new system would not only simplify the process for citizens but also ensure merit and transparency in an area of public administration that has historically been prone to inefficiency and irregularity.
Under the new system, the entire driving licence issuance process has been digitised from end to end. Citizens can now apply for driving licences from their homes through the Dastak mobile application and its accompanying web portal, with all stages of the licensing process completed digitally without requiring multiple in-person visits to government offices. The system incorporates a range of advanced features including artificial intelligence-based facial recognition, online issuance of medical certificates, QR code verification for document authentication, and the establishment of a centralised database to maintain and provide timely access to licensing records. Payments are handled through cashless channels across multiple platforms, and the system also allows citizens to pre-schedule appointments for medical and driving tests, reducing wait times and administrative bottlenecks that previously characterized the process.
Officials briefing the Chief Minister shared early results from the system’s pilot launch, noting that a total of 19,966 learner licences and 2,212 permanent driving licences had already been issued through the platform, generating Rs. 50 million in revenue for the provincial government. The integration of the system with the Dastak platform has further enhanced service delivery and verification processes, while the system also enforces strict compliance with the mandatory 45-day learner period policy through its centralised tracking mechanism. Chief Minister Afridi framed the digital licence management system as part of a wider slate of reforms the provincial government is introducing across multiple sectors, including e-governance, online service delivery, and digital payments, all aimed at bringing public services in line with modern standards and reducing the friction that citizens have traditionally faced when interacting with government departments.
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