No more long queues as Sindh takes business licencing online for first time | The Express Tribune
The Sindh government has launched a digital platform to simplify the process of obtaining business licences and registrations, eliminating the need for long queues and manual paperwork. The initiative, introduced under the World Bank’s economic reform programme, marks a major step toward full digitalisation of government services related to business approvals in the province. Under…
The Sindh government has launched a digital platform to simplify the process of obtaining business licences and registrations, eliminating the need for long queues and manual paperwork. The initiative, introduced under the World Bank’s economic reform programme, marks a major step toward full digitalisation of government services related to business approvals in the province.
Under the Sindh Advanced Business Regulation Reform, the government has begun issuing e-permits and e-licences through a single online portal as part of the Click Project,an initiative of the Sindh Investment Department designed to improve the investment climate and service delivery across the province, including Karachi.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Investment Department Additional Secretary and Project Director Behzad Amir Memon said that the first phase of the digital licensing and payment system has been successfully completed. “Within less than three months, Sindh has earned Rs5 million in revenue through digital applications and payments,” he added.
Memon explained that the three-phase project will be completed by May 2026, after which 19 provincial departments and their revenue streams will be fully digitalised. In the first phase, nine departments have already been brought online, offering 32 types of business certifications and licences.
These departments include School and College Education, Health, Sindh Healthcare Commission, Sindh Food Authority, Labour and Human Resources, Industries and Commerce, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, and the Sindh Small Industries Corporation.
According to Click Project’s Senior Automation Specialist Tahir Ali Khan, over 1,700 e-licences and e-certificates have been issued in just two and a half months, generating more than Rs5 million in revenue for the provincial exchequer.
He added that applicants can now apply for business licences through a single digital portal, while integrated systems with NADRA e-ECP, PMD, and 1Link ensure secure identity verification and digital payments.
The newly digitalised certificates include private school and college registration, food business licences, healthcare establishment licences, shop and factory registration, medicine sale and manufacturing licences, partnership firm registration and rectification, boiler registration, and environmental management plan approvals, among others.
In the upcoming phases, additional institutions – including the Sindh Building Control Authority – will also be integrated into the digital licensing framework.
Officials said the project will significantly reduce bureaucratic delays, improve transparency, and facilitate investors through a “single-click” approval system designed to make doing business in Sindh faster and more efficient.
