The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has introduced a new interoperability system that lets women beneficiaries collect their payments from authorized retailers, rather than from one bank or one city. Speaking on Tuesday, BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid said withdrawals can now be made from any authorized retailer of six partner banks, in any city, on any day and at any time. The BISP new payment method sits on the digital wallet, and officials say it is meant to make payments simpler, more transparent and more secure. In plain terms, interoperability means that different banks and retailers can work together on one system.
Who can withdraw, and where
The BISP new payment method removes limits that stopped beneficiaries from withdrawing through a particular bank or only inside a specific city, Rubina Khalid said. The six partner banks named are HBL, Habib Microfinance, Bank Alfalah, Telenor Microfinance, Bank of Punjab and Mobilink/Jazz Bank. Payments can be collected through authorized retailers connected to the One-Link network, which links retailers across the country, subject to prescribed procedures and service availability.
Activation, safety and complaints
Director General BISP Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Haider Murtaza, said women must collect their first instalment from an authorized retailer, following the prescribed procedure, to activate the digital wallet. Later payments can be collected from other authorized retailers, subject to rules and service availability. He advised beneficiaries to collect money only after receiving the confirmation SMS, to protect their phones, SIMs and verification details, and to count their payments before leaving the retailer.
Rubina Khalid said an original CNIC, the national identity card, and biometric verification are mandatory for withdrawals, and women should not hand their phones to retailers or agents. Beneficiaries who need a free Benazir SIM must collect it from a BISP office with their original CNIC and personal phone. Women whose CNICs have expired were urged to renew them through NADRA, the National Database and Registration Authority, without delay.
Any unauthorized deduction should be reported to the relevant BISP office or through the grievance system, which covers complaint registration, tracking, escalation and resolution. Murtaza said such deductions will not be tolerated. Field staff have been asked to explain the new procedures clearly, so beneficiaries with questions should contact their nearest BISP office.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Oct 20: Rubina Khalid announced withdrawals from any authorized retailer of six partner banks while hearing 28 callers during a live E-Kachehri, a session for hearing public complaints, at BISP Headquarters in Islamabad.
- Oct 21: Haider Murtaza announced the interoperability system at the concluding session of a one-day training workshop in Muzaffarabad, attended by 66 officers and officials from Azad Jammu and Kashmir districts.
- Oct 21: UNICEF was thanked for supporting the workshop, which covered digital payments, the Social Protection Wallet and grievance handling.
Aasan alfaaz mein
BISP ne ek naya nizam shuru kiya hai jis mein khawateen apni payment mukhtalif banks ke authorized retailers se nikal sakti hain. Pehli kisht authorized retailer se leni hogi taake digital wallet activate ho, aur uske baad dusre retailers bhi istemal ho sakte hain. Phone, SIM aur CNIC ki hifazat karein, aur bina ijazat katotee ki shikayat BISP office ya grievance system par karein. Withdrawal ke liye original CNIC aur biometric verification lazmi hai.
