Khursheed Shah vows resistance to any move to rename BISP

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Shah, has said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would strongly oppose any move by the government to rename Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), ARY News reported Saturday.

He was referring to reports that the federal government was mulling to change the name of BISP to something other than the former prime minister’s name.

He said Benazir Bhutto embraced ‘martyrdom’ for the sake of democracy and that the Bhutto dynasty ruled the hearts of people in the country.

Read: Federal ombudsperson suspends two senior BISP officials in Punjab

“We will put up resistance if any move was taken to rename the BISP,” he said, adding that Benazir Bhutto was the name of ideology and it could never be changed.

During his speech on March 28,  Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that 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.

The PM had stated that the name of Benazir Income Support Program would remain the same, but a new programme ‘Kafalat’ will be initiated under the BISP.

“Under Kafalat, six million BISP-beneficiary women would be given savings accounts under the ‘one woman one bank account plan’.