Karachi, 05 January 2026: Zong, Pakistan’s leading information services and technology innovation
company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Database & Registration
Authority (NADRA) to support national digitalization efforts under the Government of Pakistan’s
‘Digital Pakistan’ vision. The collaboration aligns with the Prime Minister’s agenda for citizen-centric
technological advancement and aims to enhance secure, inclusive digital services nationwide.
Under this partnership, Zong will introduce NADRA’s Multi-Biometric Verification solution, including
facial recognition as an alternative to fingerprint-based verification. This initiative will enable dignified
and accessible SIM issuance for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, individuals experiencing age-
related fingerprint fading, skin conditions or other biometric limitations.
To further enhance customer facilitation, Zong has already deployed the first dedicated SIM kiosk at
NADRA’s Rawalpindi Mega Center. This pilot serves as a scalable model for nationwide rollout,
designed to establish a fraud-resistant, citizen-centric verification process while ensuring compliance with
national security requirements and international best practices. The initiative brings Pakistan in line with
global digital leaders such as China, Malaysia and the UAE, where facial verification is widely adopted to
combat identity fraud.
Additionally, the collaboration will include the implementation of enhanced APIs for real-time subscriber
verification, timely updates to citizen records and improved registry accuracy to support law enforcement
and security agencies in monitoring suspicious activities. As part of this effort, the integration of the
Family Registration Certificate (FRC) verification API will streamline SIM ownership transfer processes
in the event of a subscriber’s death.
Commenting on the collaboration, Tauseef ur Rahman Khan, Director Sales & Distribution, Zong, said
“Our collaboration with NADRA reflects a shared commitment to advancing Pakistan’s digital
transformation through secure, citizen-centric technologies. By working closely with national institutions,
we aim to enable inclusive access to digital services for all segments of society. These initiatives are
designed to enhance service accessibility, strengthen data integrity and contribute to a safer, more resilient
digital infrastructure that supports national security and socio-economic development.”
Looking ahead, Zong and NADRA will also explore cooperation on Single Sign-On (SSO) and the
National Data Exchange Layer (NDEL) to develop an interoperable and trusted verification framework,
supporting a secure, inclusive and resilient digital ecosystem for Pakistani citizens.
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