Minister Demands BISP Transfer To Provinces Amid Corruption Allegations

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Kheal Das Kohistani has formally demanded that the federal government transfer the administration of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to provincial authorities, citing deep-rooted corruption and systemic leakages within the flagship social safety net initiative.

Addressing lawmakers during a parliamentary session in the National Assembly on Friday, Kohistani alleged that a well-entrenched mafia operating within the programme has been systematically siphon off public resources intended for Pakistan’s most economically vulnerable populations. His fiery remarks coincided with official disclosures presented before the House, which revealed that BISP management had recently purged hundreds of thousands of ineligible individuals from its beneficiary database following an extensive internal review and forensic audit.

The call for devolution highlights growing legislative friction over the centralized distribution of social welfare grants across the country. Advocates argue that shifting administrative control to provincial governments would improve localized oversight, streamline beneficiary verification, and ensure direct accountability. However, policy analysts emphasize that transferring operations without establishing stringent digital checks and independent auditing frameworks could simply relocate governance challenges to the provincial tier without resolving systemic fraud.

Demanding a comprehensive criminal investigation into the scandal, Kohistani urged federal law enforcement agencies to prosecute all corrupt officials, dishonest agents, and third-party contractors implicated in fraudulent disbursements. The parliamentary committee on poverty alleviation is expected to summon senior BISP officials in the coming days to brief lawmakers on corrective measures, structural reforms, and technological upgrades aimed at safeguarding state welfare funds.