Are electronic signatures legal in Pakistan?
Pakistan recognises electronic signatures since 2002 with the enabling of the Electronic Transaction Ordinance (ETO’02). This law legalised the use of electronic signatures.
Yes, e-signatures are court admissible
Each country has it’s own regulations that determine whether an electronic signature is seen as legal or not. So, as long as your electronic signature adheres to these, a signature won’t be rejected simply for not being handwritten.
Yes, e-signatures can be used in business
Whilst 100% legal; there are exceptions for very specific types of transactions. It is still up to the discretion of the independent user, or governing body, whether they are used or not. As each business needs are different and the agreements themselves may vary. We always advise you to speak with an authority within your businesses category.
Legal Model
Pakistans’ legal model is a tiered one. This means that Qualified Electronic Signatures are seen as a legal type of e-signature. This doesn’t mean that a non-QES e-Signature can’t be submitted in court, but it will need extra evidence to support it.
Legal Classification
Pakistan operates a Common Law system, which is based on:
- Judicial decisions are seen as binding
- Laws aren’t always of a written structure
- Few provisions are hinted at into the contract, by law
- Generally, everything is permitted that isn’t expressly prohibited by law
Few provisions are implied into a contract under the common law system – so it’s important to cover all the terms governing the relationship between the parties to a contract in the contract itself. This usually means that contracts are typically longer than one in a civil law country.
Full Summary
Pakistan’s Electronic Transaction Ordinance, 2002 (ETO’02) was created to provide recognition and facilitation of documents, records, information, communications and transactions in electronic form. The law states that “Electronically generated documents do not require any physical signature”. Therefore making electronic signatures completely legal in Pakistan.