The Ministry of Finance has communicated to the State Bank of Pakistan, Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Military Accountant General (MAG) and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) that the accounts of more than three million pensioners shall not be marked as dormant by commercial banks under the Federal Government Receipt and Payment Rules, 2025. "Going forward, pension disbursing accounts shall not be rendered dormant solely based on non-completion of biometric verification or Proof of Life formalities," the Ministry of Finance stated in its latest directives issued on Friday, in accordance with the SOP and the said Rules.
Pension disbursing accounts cannot be rendered dormant solely for pension processing or disbursement. The new SOPs supersede all previous SOPs and abolish the physical "Disburser's Half" process. Pensioners shall complete biometric verification at least once every six months and they may complete verification at any time during the applicable interval.
Family pensioners drawing pensions subject to marital-status conditions must submit Form-12 declarations to the Accountant General/District Accounts Officer as required. The existing Form-12 declaration shall, in due course, be supplemented or replaced by an online system for automated verification and updating of family pension eligibility. A pensioner may opt to change their bank account and any overpayment or discrepancy shall be dealt with in accordance with Rule 35(3) of the Rules.
Pensioners unable to generate a digital Proof of Life Certificate (PoLC) due to lack of digital access, extreme advanced age or debilitating medical conditions, as well as in family pension cases where real-time, data regarding marital status is not updated in National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) records, individuals may visit a designated District Accounts Office/pension facilitation centre under CGA/MAG. They may submit Form-10 (manual Life Certificate), Form-11 or Form-12 (non-marriage/re-marriage declaration).
Authorised personnel shall upload the documents directly into the centralised system. Commercial banks are prohibited from accepting or processing Form-10, Form-11 or Form-12 directly. The federal government has eliminated the role of commercial banks in biometric and Proof of Life Certificate (PoLC) verification of pensioners to simplify verification.
The SOP applies to federal government pensioners, including those residing in Pakistan and abroad but receiving pensions in Pakistan, covered under the Defined Benefits Pension Scheme. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has integrated pensioners' data with the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and Military Accountant General (MAG). Commercial banks will now serve only as Pension Disbursement Agencies and will have no statutory or administrative role in verifying, collecting, retaining or validating PoLC or biometric data, except where specifically authorised to act as an operational conduit through National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)'s designated system.