Senate panel refers BISP hiring dispute to austerity committee

The Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Thursday referred the issue of more than 1,300 vacant positions in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to the government's austerity committee after differing views emerged over the need for fresh recruitment.

According to reports, the committee, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, was informed that BISP has around 1,300 vacant posts out of a sanctioned strength of 3,486, with no regular recruitment carried out since 2014.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb argued that the issue should instead be discussed by the Senate Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation. He also said new hiring was unnecessary as the government had decided to digitally disburse the programme's entire Rs 838 billion allocation for the current fiscal year.

Aurangzeb said all BISP payments would be made through digital wallets to improve transparency, efficiency and service delivery. He added that technology-driven reforms would reduce the need for additional staff and suggested that the organisation rely on natural attrition rather than recruitment.

BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid disagreed, saying the Finance Division had previously opposed the recruitment process, prompting lawmakers to raise the matter before the finance committee.

She said the shortage of staff had forced BISP to rely on officers from other government departments on deputation for up to five years, creating institutional memory and operational challenges.

Khalid maintained that although payments are increasingly being made through banking channels, the programme still requires dedicated staff to manage its expanding responsibilities effectively.

Aurangzeb also referred to an incident during last year's BISP payment distribution, saying it highlighted the need to further strengthen digital payment mechanisms.

The committee decided to refer the matter to the austerity committee, which will review the staffing requirements before making recommendations on future recruitment.