Rubina Khalid Announces Major Financial Reform for Women’s Empowerment
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), has announced a major new initiative to open personal bank accounts for beneficiary women. The goal is to ensure that financial assistance is delivered in a transparent, efficient, and dignified manner.
Speaking to senior journalists at the BISP Headquarters in Islamabad, she said the pilot phase will begin on August 14, 2025, in key cities across the country including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, and Peshawar. Through this initiative, financial support will be deposited directly into women’s bank accounts, allowing them to access their funds easily and independently. She also mentioned that efforts are in progress to enable payments through Digital Wallet Accounts.
She added that on June 21, 2025, the birth anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, President Asif Ali Zardari launched the Benazir Hunarmand Program. Under this initiative, BISP beneficiary women and their family members will receive technical and vocational training in line with international standards. The aim is to equip them with marketable skills so they can obtain decent employment, achieve self-reliance, and contribute to the national economy. She noted that there is a global demand for skilled labor, and this program represents the future of Pakistan, offering hope for a better life to countless deserving families.
She acknowledged the valuable support of stakeholders including NAVTTC, provincial TEVTAs, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, and the Friends of BISP platform in implementing this transformative program.
Senator Rubina Khalid said that BISP has today become a world-renowned social welfare initiative. Last year, delegations from various countries visited Pakistan on study tours to learn from BISP’s model, aiming to replicate similar programs in their own countries — a matter of great pride for Pakistan.
She highlighted that requiring a CNIC for enrollment and recognizing the housewife as the head of the household are among the key features of the program. She credited President Asif Ali Zardari for this progressive vision, which has empowered millions of women and formally included them in the national database.
She also informed that nearly 10 million families are currently receiving financial assistance through BISP. The Benazir Nashonuma Program addresses the health and nutritional needs of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under two. This initiative targets malnutrition-induced stunting, and Pakistan has witnessed a 6.5% reduction in stunting due to the program.
The BISP Chairperson noted that under the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif (Educational Scholarships), stipends are provided from primary to higher secondary education, conditional on school enrollment and at least 70% attendance. Recently, brilliant students from Multan beneficiaries of the program secured top positions in the matriculation examinations.
She also mentioned that while registration was previously conducted through a door-to-door survey, now Dynamic Registry Centers have been set up across all tehsils, offering walk-in survey services for eligible families. Those who have been receiving assistance for over three years are required to undergo re-survey.
Strongly rejecting the perception that BISP turns people into beggars, she clarified that it is an income support program designed to bridge the gap between household expenses and income in low-income families. She acknowledged that there is always room for improvement and emphasized that complaints received through the media are addressed promptly.
She concluded by saying that raising awareness among deserving women about their rights is essential to ensuring they receive the support they are entitled to.
At the end of the press conference, journalists congratulated Senator Rubina Khalid on her third term in the Senate, and a cake-cutting ceremony was held in her honor.
