KHYBER: Irregularities were detected in the distribution of funds under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in its Jamrud office in Khyber tribal district, according to officials.

BISP officials said that at least 20 staff members of the Jamrud office were found guilty of embezzling funds released in the names of poor and needy women during initial investigations.

They said that those staff members had fraudulently acquired the thumb impression of a number of registered women and withdrew money from their bank accounts.

Officials said that the staff members involved in the scandal informed the affected women that there was no money transferred to their accounts, thus depriving them of their legitimate funds released in their names.

They said that all twenty staff members involved in the scams were immediately suspended from their respective positions, and an enquiry has been initiated against them.

Officials of the BISP Jamrud office demanded that authorities release funds to registered women through ATM cards, which would enable them to withdraw the amount themselves instead of being cheated by the office staff.

Meanwhile, civil society members in Jamrud took serious exception to issuing a school card to a physically-challenged student of Shagai primary school with indecent information about him.

A video shared on social media showed the student wearing his school card with funny and mischievous words printed on the card instead of the student’s name, father’s name, class number and school name.

Civil society activists demanded that the education department rectify the card information, along with taking action against the school staff.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2025