BADIN, November 8, 2026: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid has said the programme will expand opportunities for low-income families through vocational training and a more flexible digital payment system, while reaffirming that financial assistance is a right of eligible households rather than charity.
Speaking to journalists at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office during her visit to Badin, Sindh, Senator Khalid said more than 60 million people across Pakistan were benefiting from BISP, according to the programme’s figures.
She said BISP was working to strengthen women’s financial independence through the Benazir Hunarmand Programme, which aims to provide market-oriented technical and vocational training to members of beneficiary families, particularly women and young people.
The initiative is intended to equip participants with practical skills, improve their employment prospects and help families move towards greater economic self-reliance.
The chairperson said BISP continued to operate under a monitoring and accountability framework in line with the vision of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
She also highlighted the programme’s role in encouraging women to obtain Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs), enabling them to register for financial assistance and access government support services.
According to Senator Khalid, the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif programme currently supports 12 million children, while 2.2 million women benefit from the Benazir Nashonuma Programme.
Digital wallets to improve payment accessibility
Explaining BISP’s digital payment reforms, Senator Khalid said the introduction of interoperability through 1LINK would allow eligible women to withdraw their payments from authorised retailers of participating banks across Pakistan.
Under the proposed arrangement, beneficiaries would no longer be restricted to a particular bank or geographical area when collecting financial assistance.
She said the system would improve convenience, transparency and financial inclusion while giving women greater flexibility in accessing their funds.
During her visit, the chairperson also met women representatives of civil society organisations and local government officials to discuss problems faced by beneficiaries.
She listened to complaints and suggestions concerning BISP services and directed relevant officials to address the issues on a priority basis.
Senator Khalid reiterated that financial assistance provided through BISP was intended to support eligible families with dignity and should not be viewed as charity.
The meeting was attended by Members of the Provincial Assembly Haji Taj Muhammad Mallah, Mir Allah Bakhsh Talpur, Arbab Amanullah, Tanzila Umm-e-Habiba Qambrani and Bibi Yasmin Shah.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Kashif Raza Mangi, District Information Officer Sarfraz Samoon, BISP official Abdul Qadeer Mahesar, civil society representatives and local government officials were also present.