Political strife erupts between PTI, opposition over BISP's proposed title change
Under the BISP, poverty-stricken women are granted Rs5,000 per month.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Amid increasing political rift between the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on one side, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on the other, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s assurance to the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) on changing the name of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has acted as a catalyst.
The recommendation came during the PM’s visit to Ghotki, following which former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim has expressed his gratitude to the PM.
The programme was initiated in the year 2008 by PPP’s former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani on the recommendation of former president Asif Ali Zardari for paying tribute to former prime minister and PPP’s leader Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.
Under this programme, poor women are granted Rs5,000 per month.
Contrarily, PPP’s senior leader Syed Khursheed Shah vowed on Saturday to strongly resist the move.
He said Benazir Bhutto embraced ‘martyrdom’ for the sake of democracy and that the Bhutto ‘dynasty’ rules the hearts of people in the country.
“We will resist the move to rename the BISP,” he said, adding that Benazir Bhutto was the name of ideology and it could not be altered.
Earlier on March 28, PM Imran Khan had said that the BISP, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Zakat, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund and Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Poverty Council and planned Labour Commission would work under the new ministry, which will develop a one-window operation for social protection to facilitate citizens.
