Muhkam Uddin
Chitral, Feb 10, 2026: The e-stamp system, introduced by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to simplify public access to legal documentation, has instead become a significant source of hardship and frustration for the residents of Chitral.
In the district, the authority to issue stamp papers has been granted exclusively to the Chitral Town branch of the Bank of Khyber, creating a severe bottleneck and leaving the system virtually paralyzed.
Citizens are now forced to endure a long and exhausting wait just to obtain a single stamp, severely disrupting their daily routines.
According to local sources, long queues begin forming outside the bank early every morning. Elderly citizens, women, and young people traveling from remote areas often wait three to four hours, and in some instances even two full days, only to return empty-handed.
Tasks that previously took only a few minutes through the manual system now consume an entire day, prompting criticism that the government’s decision to centralize the service at a single branch is both unfair and inefficient.
When approached, Sher Zaman, Branch Manager of Bank of Khyber Chitral, explained that the bank is operating strictly in accordance with government policy. However, he acknowledged that the concentration of responsibilities on a single branch has created severe overcrowding.
He added: “Our staff is providing e-stamp services without any breaks, while simultaneously attending to over 15,000 regular customers. In other cities, banks typically issue high-value stamps, but in Chitral, even Rs. 50 stamps have been entrusted to the bank, which has significantly intensified the rush.”
Residents, along with social and civic organizations, have demanded that the e-stamp facility be expanded to include other branches of the Bank of Khyber as well as additional banks.
They argue that this expansion is necessary to end the unnecessary hardship faced by citizens and to ensure that they can obtain these essential legal documents conveniently and without undue stress.