Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Senator Rubina Khalid, has said that more than 10 million families, comprising approximately 60 million people, are benefiting from the government’s flagship social protection initiative across the country.
She emphasised that financial assistance provided under BISP should not be viewed as charity but as a government-supported initiative designed to help poor and deserving families overcome financial hardships.
She made these remarks while speaking to the media at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office during her one-day visit to Badin. Rubina Khalid said BISP was being implemented transparently in accordance with the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. She added that the programme was also subject to government-level monitoring to ensure accountability and transparency.
Without naming any political party or organisation, she observed that some groups collected public donations without maintaining proper audit mechanisms or following established procedures.
Describing the National Identity Card as a valuable gift from Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the people of Pakistan, she highlighted BISP’s role in encouraging women to obtain CNICs and become part of the social protection system.
She said that in the past, a large number of women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lacked national identity cards. However, BISP had helped encourage many of them to obtain CNICs and register for financial assistance.
Planning to introduce various skills-development initiatives for women
The BISP chairperson further announced that the government was planning to introduce various skills-development initiatives for women to equip them with professional capabilities, promote economic empowerment and enable them to play a greater role in national development.
Providing details of the programme’s outreach, she said approximately 12 million children were benefiting from the Benazir Kafalat Programme, while around 2.2 million women were receiving assistance under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme. Rubina Khalid reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring transparency in all BISP operations, adding that deserving families, particularly women, would continue to receive the full benefits of financial assistance and welfare initiatives. Members of the Sindh Provincial Assembly Haji Taj Muhammad Mallah, Mir Allah Bux Talpur, Arbab Amanullah, Tanzila Umm-e-Habiba Qambrani and Bibi Yasmin Shah, were also present on the occasion.
