Islamabad, September 17, 2026: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety has expressed serious concerns over BISP’s public awareness campaigns, payment-related issues and delayed briefing material from the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety.
The committee, which met for its 19th meeting under the chairmanship of Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur at Parliament House, reviewed the performance of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), awareness campaigns, Social Protection Wallets (SPWs), bank penalisation mechanisms and deputation matters.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction over the delayed provision of briefing material by the ministry and directed its secretary to ensure that such lapses were not repeated. The secretary apologised and assured the committee that he would personally investigate the matter.
The BISP chairperson told the committee that the programme was working with the Gates Foundation to clarify that BISP was not responsible for the activities of partner banks’ point-of-sale (POS) agents, which operate under contractual obligations of the banks.
The committee questioned why BISP had failed to effectively communicate this distinction to beneficiaries over the past 16 years. The BISP chairperson acknowledged shortcomings in previous media campaigns and said a new campaign was now being launched to improve public awareness.
She also informed the committee that beneficiaries were not currently conducting digital transactions through Social Protection Wallet accounts. BISP had obtained time from the State Bank of Pakistan until December 2026 before such transactions could begin, while further time was also being considered for educating beneficiaries about digital payments.
The committee appreciated the opening of around nine million digital wallets and the free distribution of SIM cards to beneficiaries.
On the awareness campaign, the BISP chairperson said the programme was exploring partnerships with banks through their corporate social responsibility initiatives. She added that BISP was also in the process of hiring a social media company on a monthly retainer to create and disseminate content across social media platforms.
The committee sought details of BISP’s media campaign expenditure for the past two years, to be submitted within a week. It also decided that BISP would provide comprehensive details of any proposed mass education campaign to committee members for review before its launch.
The committee also discussed the penalisation of partner banks for contractual failures. The BISP chairperson said existing contracts would expire by January 2027 and new agreements would subsequently be executed. She said penalties were now being imposed annually rather than only at the end of a contract, making banks more cautious about meeting their contractual obligations.
On savings and utilisation of BISP funds, the committee was briefed on a World Bank-sponsored pilot project, the Hybrid Social Protection Scheme, under which beneficiaries save Rs500 to Rs1,000 per month and receive a 40 per cent top-up on quarterly disbursements.
More than 4,000 beneficiaries have registered for the pilot. The committee raised concerns that the savings requirement could adversely affect beneficiaries’ nutrition. BISP officials clarified that the initiative was currently limited to a pilot project and there was no plan or budgetary provision to scale it up at present. A cap of 18,000 beneficiaries was being considered, with further details to be submitted within a week.
The committee was further informed that banks’ claims had been reduced because of contractual penalties, with Rs1.25 billion relating to the period from 2010 to 2019 to remain in the government treasury rather than being paid to the banks. A third-party chartered accountant firm is being engaged to assess the matter.
Regarding deputation, the committee was informed that 478 deputationists were currently working in BISP, with their details to be provided to the committee within a week.
On complaints and discrepancies concerning tranche payments through SPW accounts, the BISP chairperson said the State Bank governor had been requested to integrate the grievance management system with banks. She said interoperability would be introduced in the coming tranche.
The committee deferred the remaining agenda items for discussion at its next meeting. The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks from the chair.
