Government Helplines That Actually Work, Checked at Source

Most helpline lists in Pakistan are copies of other lists. Numbers circulate for years after they stop working, and nobody goes back to check.

Every number on this page was read off the institution's own website during our research this month. Where we could not verify one at source, we say so instead of filling the gap.

The ones worth saving right now

Reported, but not read at source

These are widely and consistently published, but we could not open the institution's own page to confirm them, so they carry a lower level of confidence.

• PTA, telecom complaints: 0800-55055. PTA's site runs as a JavaScript application and would not open for us.
• Electricity distribution companies: 118. Widely used across the DISCOs.
• Police: 15. We encountered this in official road advisories rather than on a police website.

We are separating these deliberately. A list that presents everything at the same confidence is how wrong numbers spread in the first place.

Why the source matters more than the length

We could have made this page four times longer by copying a directory. We did not, and the reason is the BISP number.

A wrong welfare helpline sends the people least able to absorb it to a dead line. Somebody who has been cheated out of Rs 2,000 by an agent, and who has one chance to call, does not get a second attempt because a website was careless.

So this list is short, and everything on it was checked.

All of these services are free. If you find a paid or premium number claiming to be a government helpline, it is not one. That is a known fraud pattern.

Getting something out of the call

1. Have your numbers in front of you before dialling. CNIC, consumer number, reference number, whichever applies.
2. Say what you want to happen, not only what went wrong. "The deduction was taken at this centre on this date and I want it reported" is actionable.
3. Ask for a complaint or tracking number and write it down. Without it you cannot follow up and cannot escalate.
4. Note the date, and the name of who you spoke to if given.
5. Follow up in writing if the matter is serious, because a call leaves no record you control.

Which number for which problem

Calling the wrong body is the most common way people waste a morning, because each of these has a defined remit and will simply tell you it is not theirs.

• A federal department has ignored you. Wafaqi Mohtasib, 1055. That covers NADRA, passport offices, FBR and the rest of the federal machinery.
• Something involving a child. 1056, which is a separate line at the same institution.
• Your BISP payment was short, or an agent took a cut. 0800-26477. No deduction is lawful.
• Your bank will not resolve a dispute. The Banking Mohtasib, but only after you have written to the bank and given it 45 days.
• Balance vanished or the network is unusable. Your operator first, then PTA.
• Your electricity bill is wrong. Your distribution company on 118 first, then NEPRA.
• A gas leak or supply problem in the south. SSGC on 1199.
• Flooding, or a disaster warning. NDMA, including by WhatsApp.

The pattern across almost all of them is the same: the body that caused the problem gets asked first, and the oversight body only takes over once that has failed. Skipping the first step is what gets complaints bounced back.

When the helpline is not enough

A phone call is the fastest route, not the strongest one. Each of these bodies has a formal process behind the number, and the formal process is what produces a decision.

• For a federal department, the free 60 day route is in our guide to complaining to the Wafaqi Mohtasib.
• For a bank, there is a 45 day rule before you can escalate, set out in complaining about your bank.
• For a mobile operator, see complaining to PTA.
• For an electricity bill, see complaining about a wrong bill.
• For anything at all, including provincial bodies, the Pakistan Citizen's Portal is the wide net.

If a number does not work

Reach the institution through its own website rather than searching for another number. Search results are where the stale copies live, and a fake helpline is a cheap thing to set up.

Which official sites actually load, and which addresses in circulation are dead, is covered in what we found testing Pakistan's government websites.

Questions readers are asking

What is the BISP complaint number?

0800-26477, published on BISP's own website. It is free to call, and no deduction from a BISP payment is lawful.

What is the Wafaqi Mohtasib helpline?

1055 for general complaints and 1056 for complaints concerning children. The service is free.

How do I complain about my mobile network by phone?

PTA's helpline is widely published as 0800-55055. Complain to your operator first and get a reference number, since PTA expects that step.

Are government helplines free in Pakistan?

The ones listed here are. Any premium or paid number claiming to be a government helpline should be treated as fraudulent.

Why is this list short?

Because everything on it was read off the institution's own website. We left out numbers we could not verify rather than padding the page.

What should I do if nobody answers?

Use the written route instead. Every one of these bodies has a formal complaint process, and a written complaint creates a record that a call does not.