WNAM REPORT: Chairperson BISP, Senator Rubina Khalid, has said that BISP has successfully launched a Digital Wallet Payment Model for its beneficiaries and is now set to roll out the pilot phase of direct bank account openings, known as “Sahulat Accounts,” in seven major districts of the country on August 13, 2025. “For the first time, we are taking a practical step towards providing beneficiaries with the freedom to choose their preferred bank for receiving payments,” she stated.
She expressed these views during a courtesy meeting with a joint delegation of the World Bank and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), currently on a five-day Implementation Support Mission to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) under the Crisis-Resilient Social Protection (CRISP) initiative.
The World Bank and FCDO delegation included Mr. Amjad Zafar Khan, Senior Social Protection Specialist and Task Team Leader; Ms. Melis U. Guven, Lead Economist and Co-Task Team Leader; Mr. Lucian Bucur Pop, Senior Economist; Mr. Javier Sanchez-Reaza, Senior Economist; and Mr. Gul Najam Jamy, Consultant. From FCDO, Heidi Carrubba, Humanitarian and Resilience Advisor, and Ms. Saba Yasir Jaswal, Program Manager for BRAVE, also participated. From BISP, Additional Secretary Dr. Asmat Nawaz along with all Director Generals attended the meeting.
The delegation apprised Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid and Secretary BISP Mr. Amer Ali Ahmad of the mission’s objectives and expected outcomes. Chairperson Rubina Khalid shared key updates on BISP’s recent reforms and future plans. She also informed them about ongoing negotiations with Pakistan Post to utilize its e-payment services for improved beneficiary access. “We are moving in the right direction. Through mutual consultation and regular engagement with the World Bank, we will be able to overcome all operational challenges,” she added.
Secretary BISP, Mr. Amer Ali Ahmad, reaffirmed BISP’s commitment to a beneficiary-centric payment system. “We are piloting multiple payment models across various cities to assess their effectiveness and identify the most suitable options for our beneficiaries,” he stated.
Mr. Amjad Zafar Khan expressed satisfaction with BISP’s progress on key Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) and encouraged acceleration of remaining tasks. The mission also reviewed the status of the Hybrid Social Protection Scheme (HSPS), improvements in the survey questionnaire, and the methodology for random checks of surveyed samples.
