KARAK: Women of Ahmadabad and adjoining localities accompanied by their children observed a token protest on Thursday against their non-inclusion in the Benazir Income Support Programme, alleging that women from well-to-do families had been accommodated in the programme.

The protesting women led by Zahida Begum, a councillor of the area, claimed here that 10 years ago the BISP survey had been conducted on political grounds and regretted that the elected representatives distributed the programme’s forms as a political bribe among their supporters. They added that only those women were included in the programme whose families had some political access to the concerned quarters.

They demanded of the government to conduct a fresh survey in the district to include the deserving women in BISP. They alleged that in some instances four women in a single family had been receiving the BISP money while the most deserving women were deprived of their right.

The women regretted that their children could not get education because of their weak financial position.

BONUS FUNDS RELEASED: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited has released Rs300 million as production bonus to the Kohat division of which the Karak district would get its share of Rs200 million.

This was disclosed by PTI MNA Shahid Khattak while talking to mediapersons here on Thursday. He claimed that the funds of production bonus would be spent on the welfare of people living near the oil and gas fields. He said that the royalty funds would also be received from the government to launch welfare projects. On this occasion, JUI-F MPA Mian Nisar Gul said that the district got the production bonus because of their sustained struggle. He said that they raised their voice on the floor of provincial assembly and had demanded early release of the funds.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2019