A debit is not a receipt

Your bank account shows a debit. The recipient says the money never arrived. The banking app shows a successful transaction, but neither side can explain where the payment went.

Before sending the money again, establish whether the original transfer was completed, rejected or reversed. An account debit, an interbank instruction and a credit recorded by the recipient are not necessarily the same event.

Where a transfer can go wrong

A transaction can fail before leaving the originating bank. It can be accepted by a payment network but not posted as expected by the recipient institution. A utility payment may reach a collection channel while the biller has not yet matched it to the correct consumer number. Those are different investigations, and a generic message saying ‘technical issue’ does not identify which one occurred.

A transaction reference is useful evidence that an instruction was recorded; it is not, by itself, proof that a beneficiary has received the funds. Ask the originating bank to confirm the channel used, the final transaction status and whether the receiving institution acknowledged it. If the bank says the payment was completed, ask what evidence supports that conclusion.

Raast has specific rules

The State Bank of Pakistan’s February 2022 Raast P2P directions say that funds successfully transferred through Raast should be credited within 20 seconds after the recipient bank receives the credit advice from Raast. The same directions require a transaction to be credited or rejected; participating banks must not retain rejected customer funds in their own accounts.

These are requirements for the specified Raast service, not a blanket promise that every bill payment, card transaction or other interbank transfer in Pakistan will settle in 20 seconds. SBP also requires participating banks to provide customer support and complaint resolution for Raast. Its Raast FAQ directs customers to their own bank’s support channel.

Why an electricity bill can remain unpaid

A bill payment introduces a further question: did the receiving collection system correctly associate the funds with the consumer account? A bank may be able to demonstrate transmission while the biller says its ledger still shows a balance. Both may be describing their local records accurately, but the customer’s problem remains unresolved.

For this reason, keep the consumer number, payment receipt and bank statement. Ask the bank for a trace of the transaction and ask the biller whether the specific payment reference was received and applied. If the due date is approaching, request written confirmation of the dispute and ask the biller about any late-fee or disconnection implications; do not assume a pending complaint automatically suspends those consequences.

What to do after a debit with no credit

First, check your statement and transaction history before pressing ‘pay’ again. A frozen screen does not prove the instruction failed, and a second attempt could create a duplicate payment. Preserve the exact amount, timestamp, payment reference and any message displayed by the app.

Report the issue to the originating bank through its official complaint channel. Describe the result, not merely the app error: ‘My account was debited on [date] for [amount], but the beneficiary has not received or recorded the payment.’ Request a complaint number and ask whether the transaction was rejected, reversed, credited or still being investigated. For a utility bill, include the consumer number through the bank’s secure channel. Never send your PIN, password or OTP to a caller claiming to help.

Complaint deadlines are not reversal deadlines

The SBP consumer-protection guidance says banks should acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and provide an interim reply after 10 working days when detailed scrutiny is needed. It also describes different final-response periods for minor complaints and fraud matters. These are complaint-handling obligations; they should not be misrepresented as an automatic refund deadline for every disputed transfer.

If the bank does not explain the transaction, ask for a written response setting out the status and the basis of its finding. The SBP’s Sunwai portal provides a formal channel for lodging and tracking complaints. The starting point for most banking grievances remains the institution’s own complaint unit.

Banking Mohtasib: the 30-day rule

The Banking Mohtasib’s November 2024 announcement confirms that the statutory period for a bank to respond to a complaint was reduced from 45 days to 30 days. Some older official guidance still mentions 45 days, so check the amended rule rather than relying on an outdated page.

Under the amended section 82D of the Banking Companies Ordinance, if the bank fails to respond or gives an unsatisfactory response within that 30-day period, the customer may file with Banking Mohtasib within a further 30 days. The law permits the Mohtasib to condone a filing delay where there are grounds for it. An unsatisfactory rejection may allow earlier referral under the Mohtasib’s published procedure. Keep copies of your complaint and the bank’s response.

These statutory escalation rules differ from the bank’s complaint-handling targets. Neither is a promise that every disputed payment will be refunded within 30 days. Check the Banking Mohtasib’s current filing instructions. As SBP explains, complaints about microfinance banks fall outside Banking Mohtasib’s jurisdiction and may instead be referred to SBP.

Bank complaint, Sunwai or Banking Mohtasib?

Start with your bank’s complaint unit. Ask for a reference number, the payment’s final status and a written explanation. If the bank cannot resolve the issue, SBP’s Sunwai service can help lodge and track complaints with the relevant financial institution. It is a complaint-management channel, not an automatic refund service.

For an eligible complaint against a scheduled bank, Banking Mohtasib provides a separate statutory redress route. Follow its current filing requirements and deadlines. The correct route depends on the institution, the transaction and the stage of your complaint. See SBP’s Sunwai circular for the portal’s purpose.

Who should trace the missing payment?

The originating bank can confirm the debit. The receiving institution can confirm whether it accepted and posted the funds. A biller can confirm whether a payment was applied to the customer’s account. The bank handling the complaint should explain which stage is confirmed and what remains under investigation, rather than repeating that a transaction was “successful.”

Pakistan’s growing digital-payments volume makes reliable reconciliation more important. My analysis of the FY26 payment-system figures examines the infrastructure question. The PECS guide explains why different payment rails have different procedures. When a transfer is missing, the customer needs a traceable answer, not another instruction to contact the other side.

By Muhammad Munaeem Jamal. The author has professional experience in banking and SWIFT-related payment operations. The opening example is illustrative, not a report of a verified individual case. This article provides general information; check current regulatory instructions and the bank’s complaint process for your circumstances.

Related customer guides: If the problem is an unauthorised card transaction rather than a failed transfer, read how to challenge a bank’s decision on disputed card charges. For the bigger systems question, see Pakistan’s digital-payment infrastructure analysis. The complaint process depends on the transaction type.

Explore the series: Find related explainers on Raast, failed transfers, customer complaints and international remittances in the Pakistan Payments Guide.