Minister of State and BISP Chairperson Marvi Memon on Tuesday said that BISP should not be politicized as it was the largest social safety network in the country which extended financial support to the poor and the needy.
Talking to the media at Fountain House, she said that the BISP had been issuing cards to the people since 2010 in a transparent manner, adding that it was heart-rending that some political leaders were trying to politicize the BISP for the their personal agendas but she said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would not allow anyone to politicize it.
She said that the BISP had issued cards to 5.15 million deserving families out of a total 7.7 million families which had been identified in the poverty survey, and added that the lists could not be edited or changed on the discretion of any politician or BISP official.
The state minister maintained that the cards were being issued to the people on daily basis and that it was a process which would continue till its completion.
She said that the BISP was a national programme and it provided financial support to the people of all four provinces as well as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) without any discrimination. She said that the political leadership should not hinder the project with baseless conspiracy theories and should show political maturity to make it a success.
Memon said that the BISP was providing education to about 0.75 million children to equip them with the skills and training which would help them in playing effective role for the development of the country.
Responding to a question, she said that she had taken part in the electoral campaign of NA-122 by-polls as she was a political worker of the PML-N but that she had neither used any governmental resources nor violated any code of conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan during the electoral campaign.
The minister advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan to concentrate on the development of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwah instead of leveling rigging allegation. She said that the PTI had failed show a good performance in KP, adding that even some secretaries had not yet been appointed in key departments in the province.
She said that the PML-N had won the elections of NA-122 with the support of the people and that her party would again elect Sardar Ayaz Sadiq as Speaker of Nation Assembly in the upcoming session of the National Assembly.
