BISP funds: Allegations of misuse ‘contrary to facts’, says Raja
‘More funds allocated to beneficiaries identified by MC than PPP’.
ISLAMABAD:
Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Farzana Raja on Saturday rejected the allegations of misuse of BISP funds by the PPP to win the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.
Former AJK prime minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s chief organiser in the region Raja Farooq Haider had earlier alleged that the BISP and Baitul Maal funds were misused by the ruling PPP to manipulate the election results in its favour.
Rejecting the allegations, Raja said that she had visited AJK two years ago and distributed BISP forms amongst members of the AJK Legislative assembly belonging to Muslim Conference and its allied parties.
Since PPP had fewer members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) compared to Muslim Conference and its allied parties, beneficiaries identified by the latter received a larger chunk of funds than those identified by the PPP.
The BISP chairperson added that her party’s victory in the AJK elections reflected the continuity of PPP’s victory in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections as well as by-elections held in various constituencies of Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2011.
Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Farzana Raja on Saturday rejected the allegations of misuse of BISP funds by the PPP to win the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.
Former AJK prime minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s chief organiser in the region Raja Farooq Haider had earlier alleged that the BISP and Baitul Maal funds were misused by the ruling PPP to manipulate the election results in its favour.
Rejecting the allegations, Raja said that she had visited AJK two years ago and distributed BISP forms amongst members of the AJK Legislative assembly belonging to Muslim Conference and its allied parties.
Since PPP had fewer members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) compared to Muslim Conference and its allied parties, beneficiaries identified by the latter received a larger chunk of funds than those identified by the PPP.
The BISP chairperson added that her party’s victory in the AJK elections reflected the continuity of PPP’s victory in the Gilgit-Baltistan elections as well as by-elections held in various constituencies of Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2011.