ISLAMABAD – It has been revealed that hundreds of senior government officials, from Grade 19 to Grade 22, received financial assistance under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), which is meant for the country’s poorest citizens.
The disclosure came during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sub-committee, chaired by Convener Moeen Aamir Pirzada, which reviewed audit objections related to the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division.
According to the Secretary BISP, as many as 715 officers benefited from the programme. This included 85 officers of Grade 20 and 630 officers of Grade 19. He added that even the names of Grade 22 officers appeared in the beneficiary lists, calling it “shameful.”
The meeting also learned that payments were made under BISP to the wives, pensioners, and family members of government employees.
The committee instructed authorities to verify cases where payments were made to deceased individuals, with audit officials noting that some beneficiaries had died even before 2008. They stressed that government employees cannot be beneficiaries of BISP.
Convener Pirzada questioned why recoveries had not yet been made, and how many federal employees were involved. BISP officials responded that the beneficiaries came from various departments, mostly provincial employees, and that a proper recovery mechanism was lacking, though the FIA was carrying out recoveries.
FIA officials told the committee that 879 FIRs have been registered, 292 individuals arrested, and challans submitted in courts.
The sub-committee further directed that criminal charges be applied in cases involving officers of Grade 16 and above.
