By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Members of the Khyber Ittehad committee on Wednesday alleged illegal deductions from payments being distributed to women under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and accused officials and device operators of involvement in corruption.
Addressing a press conference herein district press club in Landikotal, committee members Khadim Shah, Haji Gunbat, Rahmanullah, Jan Muhammad, Umar and Haji Saleh Shah claimed that women beneficiaries were being forced to pay between Rs500 and Rs1,000 each while receiving their financial assistance.
Khyber Ittehad committee member Khadim Shah said biometric device operators, along with some BISP officials and members of the district administration, were allegedly involved in the practice. He said the committee had repeatedly informed the district administration about the issue, but no action had been taken so far.
He alleged that the continued inaction suggested possible involvement of the authorities in the matter.
Shah said the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, had earlier assured them that future payments would be transferred directly to beneficiaries through wallet SIMs to ensure transparency.
However, he said the system had not yet been implemented, and payments were still being distributed through biometric devices, which, according to him, allowed opportunities for illegal deductions.
The committee members claimed they possessed evidence of the alleged corruption and said several women beneficiaries had reported paying up to Rs1,000 while receiving their payments.
They demanded that all payment devices operating in Landikotal be immediately suspended and that staff from other districts be deployed to ensure transparent distribution of funds. They also called for the appointment of female staff to assist women beneficiaries.
