CHARSADDA: Hundreds of women enrolled in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) are being forced to spend long hours in the scorching summer heat to receive their quarterly financial assistance in Charsadda, raising concerns over the hardships faced by low-income families during the ongoing heatwave.

They appealed to the federal government and the BISP administration to review the existing payment system and adopt measures that would enable beneficiaries to receive their financial assistance more quickly and conveniently, particularly during the summer months when prolonged exposure to high temperatures poses serious health risks.

From the early hours of the morning until late in the evening, women can be seen standing in long queues outside designated payment centres, hoping to receive the government assistance that many describe as their only source of financial support.

The situation is particularly difficult for elderly women, pregnant mothers and those accompanied by infants and young children, who remain exposed to extreme temperatures while waiting for their turn.

Many beneficiaries told Dawn that they had travelled from remote villages across the district, spending both time and money on transportation to reach the payment centres. However, they often have to wait for several hours before the verification process begins.

“The financial assistance is meant to support poor families, but collecting it has become an ordeal,” one beneficiary said. “We leave our homes early in the morning and sometimes do not return until sunset. Standing in the heat for so many hours is exhausting, especially for women with children.”

Several women said they had brought their young children with them because they had no one to look after them at home.

The beneficiaries said the lengthy verification process was one of the main reasons behind the delays. According to them, processing a single recipient often takes more than 30 minutes, resulting in long queues and overcrowding at the payment centres.

They urged the government and the relevant authorities to introduce a more efficient and user-friendly payment mechanism that would reduce waiting times and spare deserving families from unnecessary hardship.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026