BISP president demands apology for Sanaullah’s ‘beggarly’ remarks against program beneficiaries

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

The statement comes after Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said in a private television program that the BISP had no aim other than turning people into beggars.

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

The senator said misinformation had been spread about the program at the national level for political purposes, adding that it was the largest poverty alleviation program in the world.

“I can’t understand why such things are said in our country. There are many problems and problems in many institutions,” she said.

She added that several countries and international organizations were studying and learning from the BISP model, and that the President and Prime Minister had full confidence in the program. As proof of this confidence, she said that the Prime Minister’s Ramazan relief package had been successfully implemented through the BISP digital payment mechanism for the last two years.

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

She added that BISP supports low-income families and helps them balance their expenses and income.

“It is the duty of the state not to harm the self-esteem of these people. They do not need to extend their hand 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 program, describing BISP as a globally recognized model of financial inclusion and social protection that has supported over 10 million deserving families across Pakistan.

The president added that if anyone had any suggestions or thought the program should be improved, they were welcome to speak up.

“Come tell us. We’re doing our best to make this program better,” she said.

She announced that all BISP payments would be made through digital wallets starting July, saying the initiative would improve transparency, eliminate unauthorized deductions and enhance economic empowerment of women beneficiaries.

Learn more: Spouses of civil servants allegedly abused BISP

Senator Rubina highlighted that the BISP continues to introduce reforms aimed at enhancing transparency and empowering women beneficiaries, saying the digital wallet initiative was launched to provide greater financial empowerment to women and improve payment efficiency.

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

Rubina further informed that BISP has introduced an interoperability system, enabling beneficiaries to withdraw their payments through multiple banking channels as per their convenience.

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

The President said the BISP had introduced a recertification mechanism to further enhance transparency. Under this system, beneficiary households were reassessed every three years to ensure that only truly deserving families continued to receive assistance, while households whose economic conditions had improved could be replaced by newly eligible families.

Rubina said the BISP National Socio-Economic Register was considered a credible and reliable database across the country. Provincial governments have used this data for various welfare schemes, subsidy programs and social assistance initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable populations.

Speaking about the Benazir Nashonuma program, Rubina said more than 2.2 million pregnant and lactating women and their children were currently enrolled in the program.

She said continued efforts were being made to improve the health and nutrition of mothers and children, adding that the program had contributed to a 22 per cent reduction in stunting rates in Pakistan.

Rubina further said that under the Benazir Huarmand program, young people were provided with technical and vocational training. More than 1,000 young people have already received certificates, while another 5,000 are currently undergoing training in various fields.

Read also: PHC stops recovery of BISP salaries

The President also highlighted the achievements of the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Program, under which more than 12 million children are currently receiving educational support.

She explained that 503 students benefiting from the program achieved A+ grades in matriculation examinations, reflecting the positive impact of BISP investments in education.

Rubina said BISP was providing services to beneficiary families through its network of 647 centers across the country.

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