ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday launched Pakist­an’s first multilingual book on ‘Stories of BISP’, a book published by the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

The book is about real stories of BISP beneficiaries in 18 languages — Urdu, Balochi, Pashtu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Balti, Shina, Broshuski, Seraiki, Hindko, Gojri, Brahvi, Khetrani, Khawar, Potohari, Ghitrali and English.

Addressing the launching ceremony, President Hussain said that success of the BISP was recognised globally. He said the book about the lives of the BISP’s beneficiaries would reinforce the recognition as the stories of women from 146 districts of Pakistan highlight that the social safety net had brought about women empowerment by providing livelihood to them.

The book has an audio version as well to encapsulate the basis of the BISP’s campaign ‘Ehsaas’ (empathy).

The president, who is also BISP’s patron-in-chief, commended the management for its efforts, adding that the biographic stories were a source of encouragement and inspiration for women and should be communicated through other means like theatre.

In her opening remarks, BISP chairperson Marvi Memon said the programme commissioned a great work of art to collect stories of BISP beneficiaries, one from each district through local writers in their mother-tongue for better understanding of the impact of BISP on the lives of the underprivileged.

The book would contribute towards the promotion of regional languages and inter-provincial harmony as for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a book was published in eighteen different languages, she added.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2017