BISP president apologizes for Sanaullah’s ‘beggar’ comments on program beneficiaries

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

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

Addressing a press conference at the BISP headquarters in Islamabad, Rubina said the program was continually improving but did not justify the use of insulting language towards those who benefited from it. “Whenever you use those words, use them with evidence. Nobody has the right to insult. I ask all those people to apologize to these families for hurting their dignity,” he added.

The senator claimed that misinformation about the program was spread nationwide for political purposes, adding that it was the largest poverty alleviation program in the world.

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

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

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

He 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 extend their hand in front of anyone. So BISP does not make you a beggar, but it prevents you from becoming one,” he added.

Rubina lamented the spread of misinformation about the program and described BISP as a globally recognized model of financial inclusion and social protection that supported more than 10 million deserving families across Pakistan.

The president also said that if anyone had suggestions or thought the program should be improved, they could participate.

“Come and tell us. We’re doing everything we can to make this program better,” he said.

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

Read more: Spouses of government officials allegedly misuse BISP

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

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

Rubina further informed that BISP had introduced an Interoperability System, which allows beneficiaries to withdraw their payments through multiple banking channels as per their convenience.

It announced that starting 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 stated that BISP had introduced a recertification mechanism to further strengthen transparency. Under this system, beneficiary households were reevaluated every three years to ensure that only truly deserving families continued to receive support, while households whose economic conditions had improved could be replaced by newly eligible families.

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

Speaking about the Benazir Nashonuma Programme, Rubina said that currently more than 2.2 million pregnant and lactating women and their children are registered in the programme.

He said continuous efforts were being made to improve maternal and child health and nutrition, adding that the program had contributed to a 22% reduction in stunting rates in Pakistan.

Rubina further stated that under the Benazir Hunarmand Programme, technical and vocational training was being provided to the youth. More than 1,000 young people have already received certificates, while another 5,000 are currently receiving training in various fields.

Also read: PHC stops BISP salary recovery

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

He shared that 503 students who benefited from the program achieved A+ grades in their 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 centers across the country.

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