PM Shehbaz directs reinstatement of expelled members of Benazir Income Support Program

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued directions for the reinstatement of “qualified persons” who were removed from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) recipient list by the previous PTI administration.

The direction came during a meeting with Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation Shazia Atta Marri, which took place at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday afternoon.

In 2019, the PTI-led government removed 820,165 underserved persons from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) database, according to official figures. The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was introduced in July 2008 by the PPP government.

While speaking at the meeting, the prime minister expressed his support for the development of a system for appealing the expulsion of individuals from the BISP.

After being briefed on the proposed mechanism for the appeal of 820,000 people who were evicted from the BISP by the previous government without any inquiry, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his backing for the proposal.

Shazia Marri also provided the prime minister with information about matters pertaining to her ministry.

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She praised Prime Minister Sharif for declaring assistance for eligible Baloch people through the BISP and for awarding scholarships to students, as well as providing financial assistance to the parents of female students.

It is important to note here that Shehbaz Sharif, in his maiden statement as Prime Minister-elect in the National Assembly, announced the restoration of the BISP Program.