January 05, 2009	Monday	Muharram 07, 1430

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: The government has decided to take the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to people in tribal areas, despite reported threats from the local Taliban that women receiving monetary help would be killed.

“We are committed to launching the programme because it is purely Islamic and aimed at helping the poor,” BISP’s chairperson Farzana Raja told Dawn on Sunday.

She said the people in North Waziristan, including the Taliban, should meet their MNAs and Senators for information about the programme because it appeared that because of some misconceptions they had decided to stop women from receiving financial assistance.

Ms Raja said that tribal women would not have to go to any office because the monetary support would be provided at their doorstep.

“The women will not have to go out of their homes to get their cards because lady workers of Nadra will visit them and complete the process.” She said the card required only thumb impression and not photograph.She rejected Taliban’s claim that tribal women would become morally corrupt and said that the programme was similar to the Zakat system. “How can one call our programme un-Islamic,” she said.

Under the programme, some 3.5 million households will get Rs2,000 every two months and money orders will be sent in the name of women beneficiaries to their home address through the Pakistan Post.

She said around 127,000 families would soon get Rs3,000 for the three months with effect from Oct 1.