The Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Rubina Khalid, clarified that the organisation was not investigating alleged irregularities involving the family company of former finance minister Miftah Ismail, according to a news report.
In a press briefing, Khalid responded to allegations regarding the unfair benefits Mr. Ismail’s family company allegedly gained from World Food Programme (WFP) contracts linked to the Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP). The BNP is a BISP initiative focused on combating stunting among pregnant and lactating women and their children.
The allegations surfaced when Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, mentioned in the Senate that the former finance minister had increased the BNP budget while his company was the sole supplier of specialised nutritional food under the program. Although the minister did not name Ismail, he has since rejected the accusations, calling them politically motivated.
Senator Robina Khalid emphasized that while BISP was not involved in investigating the case, she stressed that any wrongdoing must be addressed and punished. She added that the controversy surrounding BNP’s allocation would not undermine the program’s success.
According to official figures, the initiative has helped 645,800 pregnant women and 630,000 children so far.
Khalid highlighted the program’s success in reducing child stunting rates by over six percent, calling it a critical initiative for improving the health of mothers and children.
Regarding the overall effectiveness of BISP, Khalid rejected claims that the program was turning people into beggars. She explained that BISP provides a quarterly stipend of Rs 13,500 to beneficiaries, which helps reduce the income-expenditure gap for the poor.
In response to concerns about fraud affecting female beneficiaries, Khalid announced the launch of a new project on August 14 to open bank accounts for beneficiaries in cities including Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Gilgit, and Muzaffarabad.
Furthermore, Khalid revealed that BISP has introduced an “exit strategy” to assess the impact of the program on beneficiaries’ social and financial status. Under this strategy, more than 10 million beneficiaries will need to verify their status every three years. If an improvement in financial status is confirmed, the beneficiary will be removed from BISP’s records.
