ISLAMABAD: The government has appointed Marvi Memon, a leader of the ruling PML-N, chairperson of the Banazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

An announcement issued by the presidency on Wednesday said: “On a summary initiated by Finance Division, the president has approved the prime minister’s advice for appointment of Ms Marvi Memon as Chairperson, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).”

Ms Memon has replaced another PML-N leader, Enver Baig, who served as the BISP chairman between November 2013 and November 2014.

Ms Memon, a PML-Q MNA during the Musharraf regime, joined Nawaz League in March 2012, almost a year before the 2013 general elections. The N-League has faced lot of criticism for accepting into its fold those leaders who were close to Gen Musharraf or had remained part of his cabinet.

The BISP, a flagship programme of the previous PPP government aimed at providing relief to the poorest of the poor, was introduced through an act of parliament in Oct 2008. The then MNA Farzana Raja was its first chairperson.

PML-N, which was in the opposition then, had complained that the BISP was being used for political purposes.

A source in the BISP told Dawn that presently the organisation was working as a `post office’ as it received money from the finance ministry and distributed it among the poor.

Published in Dawn February 26th , 2015

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