Getting access to government services can prove costly, time-consuming and confusing.
asserted
Getting → get → services
Though a myriad of services are provided through free government-run e-platforms, these remain fragmented across various domains, forcing people to run from pillar to post just to ascertain how they should go about availing a specific service.
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they → provide → service
To solve this problem, a Karachi-based developer has come up with a simple yet elegant solution.
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developer → solve → solution
The ‘Ask Pakistan’ platform, the brainchild of Raheel Siddiqui, is a website where a chatbot can help people seeking government services obtain the required information, thus bridging the gap between the state and its citizens.
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people → ask → state
Talking to Dawn, Mr Siddiqui said that many non-tech-savvy people struggled with getting the required information.
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people → talk → information
Raheel Siddiqui’s ‘Ask Pakistan’ platform aims to help the less tech-savvy easily access govt services
“The information is available and the government is actually good in providing directions on how to avail public services, but the problem is that there are a lot of services.
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problem → ask → services
There is no unified platform which can give you information about all of them.”
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which → be → them
This, he said, was his motivation behind building the platform.
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he → say → platform
The idea came to him when his friend saw a tweet about a US government website that collated all citizen-related services on one page.
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that → come → page
“He said that it will be great if we have something like this in Pakistan.
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we → say → Pakistan
It took me a couple of hours to build the basic app and I sent it to him.
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I → take → him
He used it and told me to post about it online, and I did.”
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I → use → it
Mr Siddiqui didn’t expect a lot of attention and said that he was surprised when it went viral.
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it → expect → attention
“I got something like 500,000 views in a few hours,” he added.
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he → get → hours
He described his platform as an information provider and said that it only provided publicly available data, which was already there but was scattered across different government bodies on a large number of separate websites.
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which → describe → websites
How it works
The pakistangov.online website has a simple interface with bilingual labels for each section, and it greets the user with the message: “Ask anything about a government service.
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it → work → service
The website has no sign-up, and it doesn’t require users to input any personal information.
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it → have → information
According to Mr Siddiqui, privacy was always a concern, which is reflected in how the website is set up.
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website → accord → Siddiqui
Users can input their queries, with common questions such as “How do I renew my CNIC?” being offered as examples.
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I → input → examples
After processing the query, the chatbot gives a detailed step-by-step answer.
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chatbot → process → answer
The platform currently collates information from 52 government websites, including the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Higher Education Commission (HEC), as well as many other federal and provincial departments.
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platform → collate → Revenue
For ease of use, users can also browse by topic, and the website also links directly to the most commonly used government departments.
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website → browse → departments
Giving an example of availing a government-provided public service, he said that if you want to get a passport, you have to go to the passport office early in the morning, get in line and pay a broker to get a passport.
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you → give → passport
“But if you have a platform where you can get an appointment, after a verification process, you won’t have to go through all this hassle
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you → have → hassle
,” he explained, and said that another thing that could happen was that, after filling out the required information through an app at home, the citizen could get their passport without even visiting the office.
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citizen → explain → office
He said, “This is being done for getting a CNIC and it can also be done for a passport or any other service.
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it → say → passport
Pakistan has the PakID app, which is very good and a lot of services are being offered on it but people don’t know about it.
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people → have → it
While internet services are available in villages across the country, there is a lack of awareness about the e-services being provided by the government.
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services → be → government
“My app focuses on solving this information gap problem.
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app → focus → problem
All you have to do is give it a prompt and it can guide you about the required service,” he said.
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he → have → service
User experience
On X (formerly Twitter), many first-time users described their experience of using the ‘Ask Pakistan’ chatbot and praised Mr Siddiqui’s initiative.
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users → describe → initiative
“Simple and elegant UI makes UX a breeze of fresh air and all the useful links are a cherry on the top,” wrote Muhammad Ishfaque.
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Ishfaque → make → top
Another user, Wasey Azim, wrote that he had asked the chatbot a question about Pakistani visas.
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he → write → visas
“It gave an answer no other service could provide,” he said.
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he → give → answer
Usman Shabbir also posted a query about the visa requirements for his US-born son to travel to Pakistan.
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son → post → Pakistan
“I struggled with this question for hours last time I travelled from NYC to Pakistan,” he posted on X, and indicated that he found the answer quite easily thanks to ‘Ask Pakistan’.
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he → struggle → Pakistan
Many users also called for official integration, with Raja Mannan Khan saying that he was “waiting for agentic AI integration” of the chatbot.
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he → call → chatbot
Siddiqui told Dawn that he was surprised when the government showed an interest in his work.
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government → tell → work
Being Gen Z, he said he used to think of the government as a ‘very old-school and laid-back organisation’.
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he → say → school
“Recently, the IT minister also contacted me and I am talking to the ministry’s team about the future direction of the project.
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I → contact → project
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
