No Recruitment in BISP for 14 Years, Performance Severely Affected: Chairperson Rubina Khalid Reveals
thegreencall 
Islamabad (Report by Razak Khatti)
Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), has revealed that there has been no recruitment in the department since 2011, which has significantly impacted the programme’s performance.
Speaking in an exclusive meeting with senior Sindhi journalists in Islamabad, she stated that due to a complete ban on hiring, the institution is struggling to improve its operations. Officers who join BISP on deputation typically learn the system over a few years and then return to their original departments, providing no long-term benefit to the programme.
She pointed out that the number of BISP beneficiaries has now reached ten million, significantly increasing the burden on an already under-resourced system. Despite writing to the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister, no response has yet been received regarding the recruitment issue.
Senator Rubina Khalid further said that empowering women was the dream of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, which was turned into reality by President Asif Ali Zardari. She added that commendable success has been achieved in making women financially independent through various initiatives.
Refuting allegations that only Sindh suffers from the “device mafia” (agents charging illegal fees from deserving women), she clarified that not only does Punjab have more beneficiaries, but it also generates more complaints than any other region.
She also disclosed that the World Bank contributes to BISP’s funding. However, during the PTI government, when propaganda against the programme was spread at the parliamentary level, the UK government—previously contributing £20 million annually—suspended its aid in 2019. That funding remains discontinued to this day.
Chairperson Rubina Khalid shared that BISP is now considering opening bank accounts for all ten million beneficiary women to facilitate direct digital payments and eliminate long queues. Responding to a question, she explained that the policy requires biometric verification before any payment is made to ensure that the funds are received by the rightful recipient who is fully aware of the transaction.
She also noted that complaints received through social media are addressed promptly and seriously.
On this occasion, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman and other BISP officials were also present. Among the journalists attending the meeting were Qurban Baloch, Razak Khatti, M.B. Soomro, Zulfiqar Guramani, Ejaz Ahmed, Abid Baloch, Ghulam Rasool Kumbhar, Shah Muhammad Detho, Sarwan Chandio, Asad Shar, Jaimal Babar, Zahid Jatoi, Nazeer Charan, Ali Lanjwani, Razzaq Bhagat, and others
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