Chairperson says BISP not responsible for cash disbursement after deaths at payment point in Rahim Yar Khan

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Rubina Khalid on Tuesday said that the programme was not responsible for the process of disbursement of cash, saying that it had been “outsourced” to banks.

The statement comes a day after at least seven women were killed and more than 75 were injured during a roof collapse when hundreds of women gathered at a retail shop in Rahim Yar Khan’s Tibba area to collect BISP handouts.

Speaking to the media during a visit to Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan on Tuesday, Khalid maintained that BISP was not responsible for disbursing cash handouts.

“We don’t have any mechanism for disbursement, so when you outsource something, the responsibility falls on the banks,” she said.

Khalid termed it unfortunate that the programme — an initiative aimed at uplifting people — was pushed to the “background” while “actual criminals … are not asked why their retailers and franchises are doing this”.

She said that BISP had no “direct relation” to retailers or franchises, adding that the banks were the ones in contact with them.

“We are going to be imposing fines on them, and a first information report will be filed naming people present at the site of the incident,” she added. She asserted that those responsible would be held accountable.

At the outset of her talk, Khalid said, “We share the grief of the bereaved families. People who are responsible for the incident will be given strict punishment”.

The BISP chairperson said the women who suffered minor injuries had been discharged from the hospital, while 17 women had suffered major injuries. One of the injured was in a serious condition, she said.

She said cheques of Rs1 million and Rs300,000 were being distributed to the heirs of the victims and the injured women, respectively. She said that the financial assistance could not replace the loss of lives, but it would serve as “some relief”.

Khalid mentioned that yesterday’s payment was the last instalment paid under the old system, saying that from the next quarter, payments would be made under the new digital wallet system.

“We will make the distribution of devices, funds, and procedures more transparent,” the BISP chairperson said, adding the payments would be delivered to women on time with “dignity and respect in line with the vision of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif”.

On Monday, reports said more than 200 women had gathered outside Sajjad Karyana Store, a designated BISP retailer, at Chak 123-P Tibba, about 13km from the city. Many of them had moved to the first floor of the shop, waiting for their turn to receive the cash handouts.

According to eyewitnesses, the roof, reportedly built with weak T-iron and girders, could not withstand the weight of the large crowd and suddenly collapsed. Initially, local residents started rescue efforts on a self-help basis before emergency services were called.

An eyewitness said women had been waiting at the shop since morning, but the retailer had not started releasing payment despite having several devices. Many women were reportedly directed to wait on the first floor, which resulted in overcrowding.