Senators slam BISP for Balochistan hardships

A member shared video showing women enduring hardships, humiliation while waiting in long lines to receive assistance.

ISLAMABAD:

Senators on the Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation criticized officials of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for the difficulties faced by recipients, particularly in Balochistan, the country's most underdeveloped province.

During the meeting, chaired by Jan Muhammad Buledi, members expressed concern over the widespread poverty in Balochistan. They highlighted that while the province required 350 BISP officers, only 150 were currently posted, leaving a significant gap in support.

Committee member Dost Ali shared a video showing women enduring hardships and humiliation while waiting in long lines to receive assistance.

In response, the BISP Director General acknowledged the challenges, noting that some families had sold their cards.

He added, "We are working on implementing a biometric system" to improve the process.

Sitting on the committee, Nasir Butt urged the BISP officials to fix this issue. "We have to facilitate the people," he added. Another committee member, Saeed Ahmad Hashmi, asked about the number of recipients of the BISP assistance in Balochistan. The officials said that the province's share was 6%.