How to Apply for the Sahara Card for Widows in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Widows aged 30 and above in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa apply for the Sahara Card at their Local Zakat Committee. See the free form, documents and how to check status.
Widows aged 30 and above in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa apply for the Sahara Card on a free form at their Local Zakat Committee, not online. Attach a NADRA family registration certificate, your husband's death certificate and a copy of your CNIC. About a month after the last date, check your status by CNIC on the Zakat widow search portal.
The Sahara Card is a monthly cash card for widows run by the KP Zakat and Ushr wing of the Social Welfare Department. It sits beside two sister cards: Roshan Mustaqbil for orphans and Ehsaas Umeed for persons with disabilities. All three forms are on the department's download page.
We read the 2025-26 Sahara Card form and its rules on swkpk.gov.pk on 3 October 2026. We also opened the widow search portal and tested what a search returns. The form is in Urdu, so we have set out every rule below in plain English.
Who can get the KP Sahara Card
A widow in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can register if she is 30 or older, is not a government employee or pensioner, does not draw her husband's pension, and has no business, plot or fixed income in her name. Elderly widows who are also disabled get priority.
The age line matters. When the scheme was launched in May 2025, the provincial government was reported to have set the minimum age at 45. The current form on the department's site says 30. Go by the form.
| Rule on the form | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Age 30 or above | Younger widows cannot register this year |
| No government job or pension | A serving or retired government employee cannot apply |
| Not drawing the late husband's pension | A family pension rules you out |
| No active business, residential or commercial plot, or fixed income in her name | Property or a steady income in your name rules you out |
| Not living in a government or private welfare home | Residents of a welfare institution are not eligible |
| One widow per deceased husband | If a man had two wives, only one can register |
| One beneficiary per household | A home gets either a Sahara Card or a Roshan Mustaqbil card, not both |
The household rule catches many families. If your orphaned child is already on the Roshan Mustaqbil card, the form says only one of you can be supported. Decide which card helps your home more before you apply.
Documents to attach to the Sahara Card form
Attach four things: your CNIC copy, a verified NADRA family registration certificate, your late husband's death certificate, and, if it applies, a disability certificate or a doctor's certificate. The form says an incomplete file will not even be checked.
- A copy of your computerised CNIC. The form says this is compulsory.
- A verified family registration certificate from NADRA that shows you as the widow.
- Your husband's death certificate, from the union council.
- If you are disabled, a disability certificate or a special CNIC. The KP process for the disability certificate and special CNIC takes time, so start it early.
- If you have a long-term illness, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, asthma, epilepsy or a need for dialysis, a certificate from an MBBS doctor.
Get the FRC first. It is the document widows are least likely to have at home, and the form cannot be checked without it.
How to apply for the Sahara Card, step by step
Pick up the free form from your Local Zakat Committee chairman or print it from swkpk.gov.pk, fill both pages, attach the documents, and hand it to the chairman. He confirms your need, and the District Zakat Committee checks your papers.
- Find your Local Zakat Committee chairman. The department's Chairman Search page on the ZMIS portal lists them by district and committee.
- Get the Sahara Card (Widow) form. It is free from the committee, or download it from the department's Downloads page under Zakat and Ushr.
- Fill in your details: name, late husband's name, CNIC, phone, address, children, income, house type and any illness or disability.
- Attach the documents listed above, sign or put your thumbprint, and give the form to the chairman.
- Keep a copy. About one month after the last date, search your CNIC on the widow search portal.
Never pay anyone for the form. The form itself says it is given free. Anybody asking for money to "register" you is not part of the process.
Selection is not automatic. The form says the final list is made from these rules and from each district's share of the places. Meeting every rule does not guarantee a card if your district's quota is full.
How to check your Sahara Card status by CNIC
Open the Zakat widow search portal, type your 13 digit CNIC without dashes, and press Search Widow. A registered widow sees her selection status, payment status and bank account status. The portal needs no login.
We ran a search on 3 October 2026. A found record shows these fields:
| Field on the result | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Registration Year | The cycle your record belongs to. Records for 2026-27 are already listed |
| Case Type | Should read Widow Sahara Card |
| Next of Kin | The relative who can collect if your fingerprints fail |
| LZ11 Status | Whether you have been selected |
| Payment Status | Whether money has been paid |
| Bank Account Status | How far your bank account setup has gone |
The next of kin line ties to a rule on the form. If a widow's fingerprints cannot be verified, the money can be released to a close relative with her permission. Put a relative you trust on the form.
The same portal has a search for the orphan card and one for the Ehsaas Umeed card. If you check BISP eligibility through 8171 as well, keep the two apart. BISP is federal, and the Sahara Card is a provincial Zakat card.
How much the Sahara Card pays
The form does not print an amount. At launch in May 2025, the KP government was reported to pay Rs 5,000 a month to 15,000 widows, by the 5th of each month. We could not find the rate on an official KP page.
Reports from early 2025 also gave Rs 10,000 a month. Reports differ, and the department's site does not settle it, so treat any figure as reported until your Local Zakat Committee confirms it.
For comparison, the KP Zakat Disbursement Regulations 2021 set the general Zakat guzara allowance, the regular support for needy people, at Rs 2,000 a month per person, or as the KP Zakat Council decides. The Sahara Card is a separate, larger scheme for widows.
One name clash causes confusion. Punjab announced its own Widow Sahara Card in February 2026, with one-time grants. That is a different scheme in a different province. A KP widow cannot apply to it.
Common questions
Can I apply for the KP Sahara Card online?
No. You submit a paper form to your Local Zakat Committee. Only the status check is online, by CNIC on the Zakat widow search portal.
What is the age limit for the Sahara Card?
30 years or above, according to the 2025-26 form on swkpk.gov.pk. The 45 year limit reported at the 2025 launch no longer appears on the form.
Can a widow who gets her husband's pension apply?
No. The form says a widow who is a government employee, a retired pensioner, or who draws her late husband's pension is not eligible.
Can my children get the orphan card if I get the Sahara Card?
No. The form allows only one beneficiary per household, from either the Sahara Card or the Roshan Mustaqbil orphan card.
What happens if the widow dies?
The card ends. The form says no other family member becomes eligible after the widow's death.
Does the Sahara Card cover health costs?
No, it is cash support only. Hospital treatment for KP residents comes through the Sehat Card Plus.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 3 October 2026. The age limit of 30, the free form, priority for elderly disabled widows, the required FRC, death certificate, CNIC copy, disability and doctor's certificates, the one widow per husband and one beneficiary per household rules, the exclusions for government employees, pensioners, property owners and welfare home residents, the end of the card on the widow's death, the next of kin release, the district share in selection, and the one month status link are read in the Sahara Card (Widow) 2025-26 registration form on the KP Social Welfare Department Zakat downloads page. The status fields are read on the department's Zakat widow search portal. The Rs 2,000 guzara allowance is read in the KP Zakat Disbursement Regulations 2021. The monthly amount, the 15,000 places and the 5th of the month payment date are reported from the May 2025 launch and are not on an official page we could find.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
