PM directs to make public names of officers who received BISP handouts

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed concerned government authorities to announce the names of officers in public, who were involved in a fraud in Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), ARY News reported on Tuesday.

A report about the names of the officers deleted from the BISP beneficiary list was submitted to the prime minister, sources said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his anger over the matter and directed concerned authorities to announce the names of the officers in public, involved in the fraud. “Those involved in robbing the poor from their entitlement could not be let free,” prime minister said.

“The names of those plundering the money should be made public,” Imran Khan said.

The names of influential government officials (involved in scam) will not remain under the curtain, sources said.

Concerned authorities will initiate implementation of the instructions of the prime minister, according to the sources.

BISP scam

ARY News made a startling disclosure on last Wednesday that several top officials of provincial and federal governments were enjoying benefits of the Benazir Income Support Programme.

According to the report overall 2543 government officials of Grade-17 to Grade-21 were receiving the BISP tri-monthly handouts, meant for the poor segments of the society.

Some officers were receiving money in the name of their wives and other members of families, which were registered in the list of the people entitled for income support.

Balochistan is the province with maximum numbers of government officials i.e. 741, who were receiving handouts of the income support programme.

Sindh had 342 government officers of Grade-18 who were registered as eligible persons for the income support programme.

The federal government had launched disciplinary action against the public officers of grade 17 and above who had been receiving financial assistance from the BISP.

The federal government had also directed the provincial chief secretaries to take departmental action against the officers who had received BISP assistance meant for the poor.