Open Space of Islamabad’s Famous Restaurant Sealed

Kabul Restaurant, a well-known eatery in Islamabad’s F-7 sector, has had its open-air space sealed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for failing to comply with the city’s new cashless payment regulations. The action marks one of the first visible enforcement steps in the ongoing drive to make Islamabad a cashless model city. The Islamabad eatery, located in F-7, was reported on social-media platform X by customers as accepting only cash payments and charging a 10 percent service fee for cash transactions. The move drew the attention of the Municipal Corporation Islamabad and CDA, which enforce cashless-economy guidelines in the capital. The directive from CDA mandates that all restaurants, hotels, petrol pumps and retail outlets display Raast QR codes and offer digital payment options as part of Islamabad’s transformation into a cashless model city.  The incident reflects that the businesses operating in the capital must transition to digital payment systems or face regulatory consequences.  This incident also highlights the growing enforcement momentum as over 38,000 retail outlets in Islamabad are now equipped with digital payment facilities.