JazzCash has begun letting consumers of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Electricity Department pay their bills through its mobile app and at JazzCash agents across the region. The new AJK electricity bill payments option means residents no longer need to travel to a bank branch or a bill collection centre. The company announced the service alongside the AJK government.
How the new payment option works
Customers can pay from their mobile phones using the JazzCash app, or pay over the counter at the nearest JazzCash agent. The agent route does not require a smartphone or a bank account, which matters for people who do not use banking services. JazzCash is a digital financial services provider, so the app and agents work as a wallet-style payment channel.
The launch also brings more public payments onto one platform. JazzCash said examination fees for the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) AJK were already payable on the service, and electricity bills now join them.
Long journeys and limited banking
JazzCash said that in AJK's remote and hilly areas, paying a bill has often meant a long trip to a bank or collection centre and time away from work. Arif Chaudhary, Head of Public Sector Partnerships at JazzCash, said that moving these payments onto the app and agent network would make essential services reachable "wherever people live." He added that the company would keep working with the Government of AJK to digitise more of the payments citizens rely on.
Government and national policy view
Muhammad Tayyab, Secretary, Energy and Water Resources, Government of AJK, said the collaboration makes it easier to pay bills, particularly where banking services are limited. He said digital payments save residents time and travel, and improve the efficiency of public service delivery. JazzCash said the launch supports the Prime Minister's vision of a cashless economy, which means fewer everyday transactions done in cash. The company also said it is working with federal and provincial governments on more transparent public payments and on bringing more people into the formal financial system.
What happens next
JazzCash said it will continue adding public payments with the AJK government, but it did not name the next services. For now, the AJK electricity bill payments option is available through the app and at agents, and residents can use either channel to pay.
Aasan alfaaz mein
JazzCash ne Azad Kashmir mein bijli ke bill dene ka naya tareeqa shuru kiya hai. Ab aap JazzCash app se ya kisi nazdeeki JazzCash agent ke paas jakar bill ada kar sakte hain. Is se door daraz safar aur bank jane ki zaroorat kam hogi. Pehle se BISE AJK ki exam fees bhi isi platform par di ja sakti hain.
