National Assembly Committee Seeks Investigation into Rs25bn BISP Audit Irregularities

ISLAMABAD: (Web desk) The National Assembly Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs has called for a comprehensive investigation into alleged irregularities exceeding Rs25 billion uncovered in the audit of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). Lawmakers stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability to ensure financial assistance reaches only eligible beneficiaries.

The committee met at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, where members reviewed the audit findings and discussed weaknesses in the programme’s beneficiary management system.

During the meeting, committee member Nikhat Shakeel Khan pointed to a major discrepancy highlighted in the audit report, claiming that a single Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) was linked to the registration of 5,558 women beneficiaries. She urged authorities to launch an immediate high-level inquiry, saying any misuse of public welfare funds must be addressed without delay.

MDCAT Centre for Balochistan Students to Be Established in Islamabad

The committee also examined the performance of the government’s public complaints mechanism and sought a detailed briefing on the Prime Minister’s Public Affairs and Grievances Wing, particularly its complaint resolution process and response timelines.

Members voiced concern over delays in biometric verification for female beneficiaries, shortcomings in beneficiary surveys, and the effectiveness of the complaint cell.

Briefing the committee, the Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs said Punjab recorded the highest number of public complaints. He added that complaint trends were being analysed and recommendations were regularly shared with the relevant departments for corrective action.

The committee was informed that proposals are being finalised to strengthen the grievance redressal system through complainant feedback, verification of resolved cases, and mandatory follow-up calls in at least 20 percent of complaints. Cases involving banking services and overseas Pakistanis are also being forwarded to the concerned institutions within the prescribed timeframe.

According to the Audit Report 2025-26 for the fiscal year 2024-25, the Auditor General of Pakistan identified significant weaknesses in the BISP Management Information System (BISP-MIS), particularly in beneficiary profiling and spouse data verification.

The audit estimated a financial exposure of more than Rs25 billion, involving 601,850 potentially compromised beneficiary records. It also found that one spouse CNIC had been linked to as many as seven different female beneficiaries in 5,558 cases, resulting in payments totaling Rs239.03 million.