SKARDU: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday pledged to protect the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), alleging that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led coalition government is considering measures that could effectively end the country’s flagship social welfare initiative.
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Addressing a public gathering in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Bilawal said it was unfortunate that the federal government was reportedly planning to abolish the programme, adding that the PPP would resist any such move.
“We will save the Benazir Income Support Programme,” he said, pledging to discuss an increase in BISP funding with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the upcoming budget process.
The PPP chairman’s remarks come amid reports that the federal government is reviewing the structure of the welfare programme. Last month, Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Kheal Das Kohistani stated that the government was considering devolving BISP responsibilities to provincial governments.
Bilawal argued that transferring the programme to provinces would effectively undermine its purpose, maintaining that social protection initiatives of this scale are generally managed by federal governments worldwide.
Launched in 2008, the Benazir Income Support Programme remains Pakistan’s largest poverty alleviation initiative, providing financial assistance to more than 10 million low-income families, particularly women and vulnerable households.
The PPP leader described BISP as an internationally recognised welfare model and highlighted his party’s history of introducing programmes aimed at supporting workers, farmers and low-income communities.
He also addressed governance issues in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying that granting the region powers similar to those provided under Pakistan’s 18th Constitutional Amendment could help resolve many local challenges.
Bilawal further noted that previous PPP governments had introduced subsidies and reforms that benefited the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and contributed to regional development.
Commenting on international affairs, the PPP chairman expressed hope that efforts by Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to promote peace in the Middle East would succeed.
He said Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts were a source of national pride and stressed that peace and stability in the region were essential to easing economic pressures faced by people across the Muslim world.
Bilawal added that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East had contributed to economic hardships and uncertainty, affecting millions of people across the region.
