BISP chairperson asks for apology over Sanaullah’s ‘beggar’ remarks on programme’s beneficiaries

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid on Monday stressed that any humiliation or disrespect towards the poor and hardworking citizens was unacceptable and called on those who had undermined the dignity of beneficiary families to apologise.

The statement came after Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said in a private TV programme that BISP served no purpose other than turning people into beggars.

Addressing a press conference at BISP headquarters in Islamabad, Rubina said the programme was continuously improving, but it did not justify the use of insulting language for those benefitting from it. “Whenever you use such words, use them with evidence. No one has the right to insult. I request all those people to apologise to these families for hurting their dignity,” she added.

The senator stated that misinformation was spread about the programme at the national level for political purposes, adding that it was the world’s largest poverty alleviation programme.

“I am not able to understand why such things are being said in our country. There are a lot of problems and issues in many institutions,” she said.

She added that several countries and international organisations were studying and learning from the BISP model, and that both the president and prime minister had full confidence in the programme. As evidence of this trust, she said the Prime Minister’s Ramazan Relief Package had been successfully delivered through BISP’s digital payment mechanism for the past two years.

Rubina said another misconception was that BISP was making people beggars, calling it a “very wrong” perception. “It is very easy for you to become a beggar. Now I tell you, if any of us gets up and stands on a street, he can easily collect Rs 8,000 to 10,000 by evening,” she said.

She added that BISP supported low-income families and helped balance their expenses and income.

“It is the duty of the state not to hurt the self-respect of these people. They do not have to stretch out their hands in front of anyone. So BISP does not make you a beggar, but prevents you from becoming one,” she added.

Rubina regretted the spread of misinformation about the programme, describing BISP as a globally recognised model of financial inclusion and social protection that supported more than 10 million deserving families across Pakistan.

The chairperson further said that if anyone had suggestions or thought the programme should be improved, they were welcome to engage.

“You come and tell us. We are trying our best to make this programme better,” she said.

She announced that all BISP payments would be made through digital wallets from July, saying the initiative would enhance transparency, eliminate unauthorised deductions and strengthen the economic empowerment of beneficiary women.

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Senator Rubina highlighted that BISP continued to introduce reforms aimed at strengthening transparency and empowering women beneficiaries, saying that the digital wallet initiative had been launched to provide greater financial autonomy to women and improve the efficiency of payments.

“More than 8m free Benazir SIMs have already been distributed among women beneficiaries, and digital wallets are being opened in their names to eliminate unauthorised deductions and unnecessary difficulties in accessing payments,” she said.

Rubina further informed that BISP had introduced an Interoperability System, enabling beneficiaries to withdraw their payments through multiple banking channels according to their convenience.

She announced that beginning in July 2026, all BISP payments would be made exclusively through digital wallets. Women facing biometric verification issues or those whose fingerprints cannot be verified would also be able to access their funds through bank accounts.

The chairperson stated that BISP had introduced a re-certification mechanism to further strengthen transparency. Under this system, beneficiary households were reassessed every three years to ensure that only genuinely deserving families continue to receive support, while households whose economic conditions had improved can be replaced by newly eligible families.

Rubina said that BISP’s National Socio-Economic Registry was regarded as a credible and reliable database across the country. Provincial governments utilised this data for various welfare schemes, subsidy programmes and social assistance initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable populations.

Speaking about the Benazir Nashonuma Programme, Rubina said that more than 2.2m pregnant and lactating women and their children were currently registered under the programme.

She stated that continued efforts were being made to improve maternal and child health and nutrition, adding that the programme had contributed to a 22% reduction in stunting rates in Pakistan.

Rubina further stated that under the Benazir Hunarmand Programme, young people were being provided with technical and vocational training. More than 1,000 youth had already received certificates, while another 5,000 were currently undergoing training in various fields.

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The chairperson also highlighted the achievements of the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Programme, under which more than 12m children were currently receiving educational support.

She shared that 503 students benefiting from the programme secured A+ grades in matriculation examinations, reflecting the positive impact of BISP’s investments in education.

Rubina stated that BISP was providing services to beneficiary families through its network of 647 centres across the country.

She reaffirmed the programme’s commitment to becoming more transparent, efficient, and citizen-centric while continuing to work for the welfare and socio-economic uplift of poor and vulnerable segments of society.