All government payments in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will be temporarily suspended from January 6 to January 20 next month as authorities upgrade the region’s SAP-based financial management system. The move, announced through an official circular, aims to modernize accounting operations but will briefly pause payment processing across government departments.
According to the notification issued by the Accountant General’s Office and signed by Additional Accountant General Mir Muhammad Asghar, the Directorate of Federal Accounts (FABs), Islamabad will conduct the upgrade. During this period, the SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products) system will remain completely offline, making it impossible to process salaries, vendor payments, or other government bills through the digital platform.
SAP is the core system used by AJK’s government for budgeting, accounting, and payment management. Officials say the upgrade is necessary to improve efficiency, security, and long-term reliability of financial operations.
To reduce inconvenience, divisional and district accounts officers have been directed to clear all receipted bills before the shutdown begins. The circular instructs offices to process claims daily and ensure that the Bill Tracking Report (BTR) reflects zero pending balance by January 5.In an unusual move, the weekly holidays on January 3 and 4 have been cancelled for accounts offices across AJK. All offices will remain open on these days to fast-track payment clearances.
Calling the system upgrade “most important,” the Accountant General’s Office emphasized strict compliance with these instructions so that disruption to government departments, employees, and vendors remains minimal during the two-week suspension.