BISP funds misuse: Guilty officials to face special court

ISLAMABAD: The federal government will initiate criminal proceedings against 94 high-ranking government officials for digesting the BISP (Benazir Income Support Fund) funds meant for poor women.

These 94 officials serving from Grade 17 to Grade 22 have repaid Rs10.8 million they had taken personally or in the name of their wives,” Shahzad Akbar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability, told The News.

Launched in July 2008 by the then Pakistan People’s Party government, the federally-funded BISP is Pakistan’s largest social safety net, providing welfare payments to the poorest of the poor across the country.

In January, the government had decided to take action against officials benefiting monetarily from the program.

Shahzad Akbar said in the first phase some 924 beneficiaries, including high officials from Grade 17 to Grade 22 of various departments had been identified.

He said after the government identified 924 officials, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had summoned 94 officials as well as their spouses who had confessed to their crimes and deposited Rs10.8 million.

However, the case did not come to an end, as these officials will be proceeded against in accordance with the law and after completing an inquiry, an FIR will be registered against them and finally they will be tried in a special court”, he added.

Giving the breakup, Shahzad Akbar said 59 officials of various departments had been identified in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 26 in Punjab, two in the federal government departments, five in Sindh and two in Balochistan. He said there were some 2,221 beneficiaries of BISP of which 924 officials from Grade 17 to Grade 22 of various government departments across the country had been identified.

He said the FIA had accelerated the move for identifying the remaining officials who will be proceeded against.

In this respect, he said all the chief secretaries of the provinces as heads of the federal government departments had been strictly intimated to recover the said amount.

Asked if the recovered amount of 10.8 million would be utilized for combating the corona pandemic, Shahzad Akbar said since the money belonged to the federal government; therefore, it will be deposited in the national exchequer.

To another question, he reiterated that no leniency will be accorded to any of the accused person involved and all will be proceeded against in accordance with the law.

In January, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT1) had released the names of 2,037 government officers who had illegally enrolled themselves or their spouses as the BISP beneficiaries and announced registering criminal cases against them.

Shahzad Akbar had told a press conference that the government had initiated action against the guilty officers.