BISP | Pakistan

LAHORE - The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has introduced a digital wallet system to make financial assistance to women beneficiaries more transparent, secure and convenient, with digital wallet accounts already opened for 90 per cent of beneficiaries.

• Agents deducting Rs1,500 to Rs2,000 from payments, say beneficiaries • BISP introduces Social Protection Wallet to reduce dependence on agents WHEN Koonj Jhanjhanjo finally received Rs12,500 from a Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) agent, she had little choice but to accept that Rs11,620 of the amount due to her had been withheld. Along with her husband, Saghir, she spent an entire afternoon in the scorching heat, hoping to receive the remaining amount after the device operator — an agent authorised by BISP and a partner bank to make disbursements — refused to pay what was owed to her. “When we insisted, the operator replied arrogantly that the rest of the amount would be paid later. We objected but finally received the money (despite the massive deduction), after an agonising wait in scorching heat,” her husband told Dawn. Koonj, whose husband is a daily-wage earner, is a BISP beneficiary from the Husri area of Hyderabad. Her entitlement includes financial support under the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif and...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Saturday ruled that a complaint filed by a Point-of-Sale (PoS) agent against the Ben­azir Income Support Programme (BISP) over the blocking of his retailer ID was not maintainable under consumer protection laws, as the relationship did not constitute a “consumer service” arrangement. A two-judge SC bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, issued the verdict on an appeal filed by BISP Deputy Director Muhammad Ishaq against the Nov 6, 2025 order of the Peshawar High Court, Bannu bench, in a consumer protection appeal. The Supreme Court, however, set aside the judgements of the Consumer Protection Court, Bannu, as well as the PHC, which had earlier directed the BISP and Bank Alfalah to restore the agent’s ID. “We held that [the] complaint under Section 13 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumer Protection Act of 1997 was not maintainable,” observed Mazhar in a 14-page order. Rules Point-of-Sale agent cannot invoke consumer law However, in the interest of justice, the Supreme Court...

First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has said that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) stands as a lasting reflection of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s vision to provide support and opportunities to vulnerable segments of society.

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid on Monday urged those whose words may have hurt BISP beneficiaries’ sentiments to apologise. While she did not specifically name anyone, the senator said this during a press conference in Islamabad after mentioning remarks by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah. Speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Capital Talk’ last week, Sanaullah claimed that the BISP data was “not accurate to the extent of Punjab”, alleged it was marred by corruption and remarked that the programme served no purpose other than turning people into beggars. In her press conference, Khalid said it was not right to say that BISP was turning people into beggars, explaining that the programme catered to those who worked to earn a living. But, she continued, when they need financial assistance, it is the state’s responsibility to aid them without compromising their self-respect. “BISP does not turn people into beggars; it prevents people from becoming ...

Women aged over 35 who remain unmarried will be included in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), officials informed a parliamentary committee during a meeting on Tuesday.

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Rubina Khalid on Tuesday said that the programme was not responsible for the process of disbursement of cash, saying that it had been “outsourced” to banks. The statement comes a day after at least seven women were killed and more than 75 were injured during a roof collapse when hundreds of women gathered at a retail shop in Rahim Yar Khan’s Tibba area to collect BISP handouts. Speaking to the media during a visit to Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan on Tuesday, Khalid maintained that BISP was not responsible for disbursing cash handouts. “We don’t have any mechanism for disbursement, so when you outsource something, the responsibility falls on the banks,” she said. Khalid termed it unfortunate that the programme — an initiative aimed at uplifting people — was pushed to the “background” while “actual criminals … are not asked why their retailers and franchises are doing this”. She said that BISP had no “direct relation” to retailers or franchises, addi...

• Bilawal-led delegation meets premier after a month of sparring over flood relief, canals issue • PM reiterates ‘respect for PPP as ruling ally’; Chan says PM amenable to using social safety net to help flood-hit people • MQM leaders also call on PM to discuss political situation ISLAMABAD: After weeks of acrimony between the ruling allies, the two main parties in the ruling coalition seemed to make a breakthrough on Thursday, with a PPP leader claiming the prime minister had acceded to one of their main demands. “The prime minister has agreed to utilise BISP for helping flood victims and that the PPP will be taken on board while decision-making about flood victims and farmers,” PPP Information Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan told Dawn. The understanding, he said, was reached during a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House with a PPP delegation led by Chair­man Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. It is believed that the development will finally defuse nearly a month of public confrontation between the two parties. However, a...

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid on Friday urged provincial governments to continue their support in further strengthening the initiative, which she described as one of Pakistan’s most credible and transparent welfare programmes.

Prime Minister’s advisor and Senator Rana Sanaullah on Thursday expressed strong reservations about the accuracy of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) data, urging that it be revised after proper verification.

PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on Wednesday defended the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as a “tried and tested” method for providing flood relief, while criticising what he called the “harsh tone” adopted in recent exchanges between his party and its coalition partner, the PML-N. “In the past few days, such questions have been raised that now a dialogue has begun, which, in our understanding, is not appropriate. It is neither beneficial for politics, nor for democracy,” he said at a press conference in Lahore. “And this is our [PPP’s] view, not a suggestion to anyone,” he added. The PPP and PML-N continued to engage in a war of words over flood relief, as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted that the BISP was the “sole method” of providing relief to those affected by the recent floods in the country, while PML-N’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz accused his party of “politicising” the issue. Furthermore, the tensions between the ruling coalition partners on Tuesday flared in parliament as th...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday termed the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as the nation’s most reliable mechanism and a globally acclaimed system for delivering swift and transparent financial assistance in times of crises, including natural disasters like.

The PPP and PML-N continued to engage in a war of words over flood relief on Thursday, as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the “sole method” of providing relief to those affected by the recent floods in the country, while PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz accused his party of “politicising” the issue. The two parties, who are coalition partners in the Centre, have recently been arguing over the means for flood relief, with the PPP insisting on the use of BISP and the PML-N disapproving of the proposition. On Wednesday, after the PML-N questioned the transparency of BISP, the PPP accused its senior partner of showing an “irresponsible attitude” by refusing to use the programme’s data to compensate flood-affected people in Punjab. BISP is a national safety net programme in Pakistan that provides cash assistance to poor and vulnerable families, particularly targeting women. Addressing a press conference in Karachi today, Bilawal said: “Across the country, the a...

PPP’s Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, the first lady and a member of the National Assembly, on Wednesday asserted that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the “most effective way” to distribute aid to flood-affected people, adding that it would be “irresponsible to not utilise it”. Her statement comes a day after Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that the provincial government would issue relief cards to the flood victims in their personal names using its own resources instead of using BISP to assist them. Over the past month, the PPP has repeatedly urged the Centre to disburse stipends among displaced citizens via the “efficient and proven” BISP. BISP is a national safety net programme in Pakistan that provides cash assistance to poor and vulnerable families, particularly targeting women. In a post on X, Aseefa said that over four million people had been impacted by the “unprecedented floods” in Punjab. She termed the BISP as the “fastest and most effective way” to distribute aid to those affe...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said on Tuesday that the provincial government would use issue relief cards to the flood victims on their personal names using its own resources instead of using the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to assist them. Addressing a press conference at the Directorate General Public Relations, the provincial minister emphasised that disaster relief should not be politicised. “The relief cards will ensure that help reaches the right people without making them suffer further. We are focused on serving, not politicising,” she said. “Should we take advice from those who have turned Sindh into archaeological ruins?” she added, taking a jibe at the Sindh government. The provincial minister criticised those who she claimed were using the crisis to “advance their political agendas”. “Our focus is on relief and rehabilitation. Not everything should be turned into politics,” she said. “These relief buses and programmes are for the people, not for headlines.” The Punjab governm...

ISLAMABAD: Amid app­arent reluctance by the federal government to use the Benazir Income Support Pro­gramme (BISP) to help the flood survivors, the PPP has once again urged the Centre to disburse stipends among displaced citizens via the “efficient and proven” BISP. Over the past weeks, the PPP chairman and senior leaders have encouraged the use of the flagship income support initiative to provide relief to thousands of citizens affected by the monsoon floods. Earlier this week, its vice president, Sherry Rehman, had “strongly and repeatedly” advocated the use of BISP for the purpose in a Senate committee meeting. On Saturday, another PPP leader Humayun Khan urged the government to do the same. His statement came days after PML-N leader and PM’s aide Rana Sanaullah expressed apprehensions about the BISP, calling it unviable for a cash-strapped government. Rana Sana said the BISP could not be continued in its current form — it either needed to be wrapped up or be completely revamped. The PML-N leader had sugge...

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has launched a nationwide dynamic survey to expand its outreach to 10 million families across Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hailed the launch of digital wallets under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as a landmark initiative, saying it would accelerate the shift toward a cashless economy and curb corruption.

ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has launched a nationwide BISP dynamic survey to increase its impact to 10 million families, ARY News reported. A simple, transparent, and easily accessible registration process has been designed for all eligible households. Under the BISP dynamic survey, families can get quarterly financial help ranging from PKR 10,500 […]

KARACHI: The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is set to launch a direct bank payment system, which will be operational under the umbrella of the dynamic pilot initiative “Sahulat Accounts”, starting from August 13, 2025, ARY News reported. By this initiative, transparency, security, and dignity in financial support disbursement will be enhanced for many qualified […]