The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to discontinue the Sohni Dharti Remittance Programme (SDRP), the incentive scheme that rewarded overseas Pakistanis for sending remittances through formal banking channels, effective July 1, 2026.
In a letter issued to banks and financial institutions, the central bank said no further reward points under the SDRP would be awarded from the start of fiscal year 2026-27. All eligible remittance transactions processed up to June 30, 2026, will still qualify for reward points and will be reported to 1LINK for credit under the scheme.
Reward points already accumulated by users until June 30, 2026, will remain redeemable until the end of FY27, or June 30, 2027. The SBP said the SDRP would become completely non-functional from July 1, 2027.
The SDRP was a loyalty initiative launched by the SBP to encourage overseas Pakistanis to send remittances through official banking channels.
The programme operated on a point-based system, allowing remitters to accumulate reward points by using SBP-regulated entities for their transactions. Its primary objective was to boost foreign exchange inflows by incentivising formal remittance channels.
The programme initially comprised three categories: Green, Gold, and Platinum. A Diamond category was added on September 22, 2023.
Reward points could be redeemed by both remitters and their beneficiaries for free services, including the Emigrant Registration fee at the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment and duty payments on imported mobile phones and vehicles to the Federal Board of Revenue.
The points could also be used to pay school fees at the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation and passport renewal fees at the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports.
The announcement follows remarks by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, in which he described overseas Pakistanis as the most valuable asset of the country and said their remittances remained a lifeline for the economy and foreign exchange reserves.
Chairing a meeting, the prime minister reaffirmed the commitment of the government to addressing expatriate concerns and directed officials to expedite welfare initiatives for Pakistanis living abroad.
