The Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair and Convention Centre, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, organized a dialogue session on “BISP: Prospects, Challenges and the Way Forward” at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair.

The session was presided over by Vice Chancellor, University of Sindh, Professor Dr. Fateh Muhammad Marri, while renowned economist, public policy expert and former member of the Planning Commission of Pakistan, Dr. Kaiser Bengali was the keynote speaker.

Other speakers included Professor Dr. Arfana Begum Mallah, Director, Dr. M. A. Qazi Institute of Chemistry, and Dr. Ronaque Ali Behan, Assistant Professor at the Area Study Centre for East and Southeast Asia. Dr. Abdul Razaque Channa, Chairman, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, moderated the session.

Addressing the participants, Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Fateh Muhammad Marri (T.I) described the Benazir Income Support Programme as an important government initiative and said that more than 10 million women from poor families across the country were receiving financial assistance through the programme, enabling them to meet their food and other essential needs.

He said that it was a purely public welfare programme and that, although there was room for further improvement, it should not be subjected to unnecessary political assumptions. He added that poor and deserving people across the country were benefiting from the programme without any political discrimination.

The Vice Chancellor welcomed Dr. Kaiser Bengali to the University of Sindh and appreciated the efforts of Dr. Rehana Mallah, Director, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair and Convention Centre, for organizing a session on such an important topic.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kaiser Bengali said that he had been visiting the University of Sindh since 1980 and had always felt happy to visit the institution.

Discussing the topic, he said that the concept of the income support programme was envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto with the objective of providing financial assistance to the poor, particularly women, and that her party’s government implemented the programme in 2008.

Dr. Bengali said that he considered himself fortunate to have played a role in the basic formulation of this important programme. He said that the programme could not be linked to the question of poverty eradication, as its objective was not to eliminate poverty but to provide financial assistance to poor people and reduce their financial difficulties to some extent.

He said that the perception that people would stop working after receiving financial assistance under the programme was incorrect. He explained that if a person’s monthly expenses were Rs40,000, the assistance represented only 10 percent of the expenses and, therefore, could not be relied upon completely.

Dr. Kaiser Bengali said that although the programme had faced opposition, the support, special interest and monitoring of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had contributed to its continued operation for the past 18 years.

He further said that linking the programme with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) database had not only reduced questions regarding transparency but had also enabled millions of women to obtain national identity cards.

He suggested that overemployment in the programme should be reduced, more deserving people should be registered to receive financial assistance, and the amount provided to beneficiaries should also be increased.

Earlier, Dr. Rehana Mallah, Director, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair and Convention Centre, welcomed the distinguished guests in her opening remarks and highlighted the objectives of the dialogue session. She also expressed special gratitude to the Vice Chancellor for his support.

Speaking during the dialogue session, Professor Dr. Arfana Begum Mallah said that the Benazir Income Support Programme was not only a source of financial assistance for millions of poor families but had also contributed to raising awareness among women in underdeveloped areas, providing them with opportunities for empowerment and enhancing their dignity and importance.

She said that the programme should not be politicized. Referring to the past, she said that the name of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had been removed from the programme and its name had been changed on political grounds, although the concept of the programme had been presented by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. She added that Benazir Bhutto’s sacrifices for the country and the nation were exemplary.

She said that millions of women had previously remained outside the official count because they did not possess national identity cards. However, after the launch of the programme, they obtained identity cards and also gained the right to vote.

She further said that the programme had also provided women with opportunities to leave their homes and interact with one another.

On the occasion, Dr. Ronaque Ali Behan shared details, experiences and findings of his research conducted as Principal Investigator in 2022, with the support of the Higher Education Commission, titled “Assessment of Impact of Benazir Income Support Program on Voting Behavior of Women in District Sanghar”. He said that during the research, a majority of working-class and farming women appeared highly satisfied with the programme.

A question-and-answer session was also held. Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Dr. Nanik Ram; Chairperson, Department of Philosophy Amar Sindhu, Dr. Rehana Mallah; Dr. Rafique Wassan; Dr. Imran Halepoto; Dr. Shah Murad Chandio; Dr. Sujomal Hemani; Dr. Asif Jamali; Dr. Shazia Sheikh and others asked the speakers questions related to the topic, which were answered in detail.

The programme was attended by Registrar, University of Sindh, Sajid Qayoom Memon; Dean, Faculty of Arts Dr. Muhammad Khan Sangi; Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology Dr. Lachhman Das Dhomeja; heads of various departments, faculty members and students.

At the end, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Dr. Nanik Ram thanked all the participants.