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Bilawal Urges Govt to Use BISP as Sole Relief Mechanism for Flood Victims
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says BISP is the “sole method” to deliver flood relief, urging the federal govt to lead aid efforts & support farmers to secure food security.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-09-25
Bilawal Urges Govt to Use BISP as Sole Relief Mechanism for Flood Victims

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday said the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) remains the “sole method” for the federal government to provide immediate relief to those affected by devastating floods across Pakistan.

His statement follows growing tensions between coalition partners PPP and PML-N after the latter raised questions about BISP’s transparency. The PPP, in turn, accused its senior ally of showing an “irresponsible attitude” by refusing to use BISP data to compensate flood-hit families in Punjab.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, Bilawal said Pakistan’s agriculture sector — already under strain — had been badly damaged by the floods, posing a serious threat to national food security.

“I had appealed to the federal government to declare a climate emergency and an agriculture emergency to address the losses caused by the floods,” he said, adding that he had also called for electricity bills of affected farmers to be waived. Bilawal acknowledged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for accepting those proposals.

Sindh Govt Support for Farmers

Bilawal said he had asked Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to work on measures to support small farmers and landowners. He announced that through the Benazir Hari Card, the Sindh government would provide aid to farmers owning between one and 25 acres of land, alongside support for fertiliser costs.

“Our effort is to support the wheat crop so that we do not need to import wheat,” he explained. “If federal and provincial governments act in time, we can both mitigate losses and avoid a heavy import bill by investing in our own farmers.”

Flood Damage Across Provinces

The PPP chairman stressed that the floods had caused historic devastation in South Punjab while also impacting low-lying areas of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

“A natural calamity is not the responsibility of any one province; across the world, the federal government plays the leading role,” he said. “So BISP is the sole method through which the Centre can provide immediate relief — this has been the practice during past disasters, including Covid-19.”

He questioned the government’s refusal to use BISP for Punjab’s flood-hit communities, asking: “What is the fault of the people of South Punjab when they face such devastating floods, their homes are destroyed, and they are living on the road?”

Call for International Appeal

Bilawal also criticised the federal government for failing to seek global support at the onset of the crisis. “When the floods began, the Centre should not have waited for provincial help. It should have issued an international appeal immediately, as was done in the past,” he said.

He suggested that timely outreach to the international community, coupled with seeking a review of IMF restrictions, could have strengthened Pakistan’s hand in mobilising relief.

Bilawal concluded by urging the federal government to “review its policy” and adopt BISP as the core channel for distributing aid to affected populations nationwide.
Tagged:

BilawalBhutto

BISP

FoodSecurity

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