HYDERABAD: Noted economist Dr Kaiser Bengali has dismissed the perception that beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) would stop working after receiving this meagre financial assistance under the programme.

He explained that beneficiaries receive 10 per cent of their expenditures if their monthly expenses are calculated at Rs40,000, and clarified that the BISP does not aim to eliminate poverty but to offer some financial assistance to the poor.

He was speaking at a dialogue on “BISP: Prospects, Challenges and Way Forward,” organised by the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair and Convention Centre at Sindh University on Wednesday. The session was presided over by Sindh University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Marri.

In his keynote speech, Dr Bengali said that he had been visiting Sindh University since 1980 and had always felt happy to visit the institution. He observed that the concept of the income support programme was envisioned by Benazir Bhutto with the objective of providing financial assistance to the poor, particularly women, and that her party’s government had implemented the programme in 2008.

Dr Bengali said that he was lucky enough to have played a role in the basic formulation of this important charitable arm of the government. He said that the BISP could not be linked to the question of poverty eradication, as its objective was not to eliminate poverty but to provide financial assistance to poor people and reduce their financial difficulties to some extent.

He said the perception that people would stop working after receiving financial assistance under the programme was incorrect. He explained that if a person’s monthly expenses were Rs40,000, the assistance represented only 10 per cent of the expenses and, therefore, could not be relied upon completely.

He said that although the programme had faced opposition, support, special interest and monitoring by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had contributed to its continued operation over the past 18 years. He further said that linking the programme with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) database had not only reduced questions regarding transparency but had also enabled millions of women to obtain national identity cards. He suggested that overemployment in the programme should be reduced, more deserving people should be registered to receive financial assistance, and the amount provided to beneficiaries should also be increased.

VC Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Marri described BISP as an important government initiative and said that more than 10m women from poor families across the country were receiving financial assistance through the programme, enabling them to meet their food and other essential needs. He said it was a purely public welfare programme and that, although there was room for further improvement, it should not be subjected to unnecessary political assumptions. He added that poor and deserving people across the country were benefiting from the programme without any political discrimination.

Dr Rehana Mallah, director of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair and Convention Centre, highlighted the objectives of the dialogue. She expressed special gratitude to the VC for his support. She said that BISP was not only a source of financial assistance for millions of poor people, but had also contributed to raising awareness among women in underdeveloped areas, providing them with opportunities for empowerment and enhancing their dignity and importance.

She said that BISP should not be politicised. She said that the name of Benazir Bhutto had been removed from the programme earlier on political grounds, although it was the late leader who had conceived its concept. She said that Benazir Bhutto’s sacrifices were exemplary. She said that millions of women had previously remained outside the official count because they did not possess national identity cards.

Dr Ronaque Ali Behan shared his experience and the findings of research conducted with the support of the Higher Education Commission, titled “Assessment of the Impact of the Benazir Income Support Programme on the Voting Behaviour of Women in District Sanghar”. He said that a majority of working-class and farming women had appeared highly satisfied with the programme during the research.

A question-and-answer session was also held.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2026