FIA launches inquiry into BISP scam

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday has launched inquiry against government officials who were involved financial irregularities in Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), ARY News reported.

The investigation into the scam was ordered by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The report of officers who got benefit from the BISP will be presented before him.

According to sources within the FIA, as many as 3,000 government officers got benefits from the BISP.

Read more: BISP scam: Govt terminates services of four beneficiary officials 

Earlier on January 18, services of four government officers had been terminated over illegally taking tri-monthly handouts of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

In first punitive action against the officials involved in the BISP scam, the government had notified termination of four officers of Grade-17, who had been getting the money meant for poor segment of the society after getting registered their wives in the list of the BISP beneficiaries.

The government had also recovered Rs. 4,40,196 rupees, the officers had received from the income support programme.

Sania Nishtar’s announcement

On December 26, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Sania Nishtar had announced that the federal government has decided to expel 820,165 unmerited people from the database of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

“The people who have been expelled from the BISP database over failing to meet the merit. The deserving people had been apportioned after a survey conducted 10 years ago which is seemingly enough to change condition. Unmerited people were being paid since 2011. The government took the decision for restricting government employees to get registered in the programme.”