MANSEHRA: The woman beneficiaries of the Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme in the district complain most commercial banks don’t offer ATM service for the cards issued to them to get monthly stipend.

“I have been standing here in the queue since morning but don’t know when I’ll be able to get the BISP stipend through ATM,” a woman told Dawn outside a bank along the Karakoram Highway.

She said women and men with both ATM and BISP cards had queued up for cash.

The woman said the government transferred the money to her account last week.

Many women and men complained they didn’t know how to withdraw money from ATM.

Some reported fraud.

“In some cases, fraudsters have deprived BISP women beneficiaries of not only their cash but of debit cards too after the latter engaged the former to withdraw money on their behalf,” said a man standing in the long queue.

A woman said she used to visit banks on Abbottabad Road for cash withdrawal through ATMs but almost all commercial banks there didn’t offer the facility anymore.

“If the government wants to do any good to BISP beneficiaries, then it should bind all banks to ensure that cards used by them will work at all ATMs,” she said.

Most such women said they lived in far-off villages and towns.

AZAN AND PRAYER TIMINGS: Federal Hajj and interfaith harmony minister Sardar Mohammad Yousuf on Monday said the time was not far when the same timings for Azan and prayers would be observed across the country.

“I am optimistic that the ulema of all schools of thought will soon agree to follow similar Azan and prayer timings. This gesture will end hatred among the people and unit the nation,” he told a gathering held in connection with the inauguration of the Haji Mohammad Ismail Welfare Organisation here.

The minister said he was happy to see that majority of ulema had agreed to the same Azan and prayer timings in his native district.

He said the nongovernmental organisations should follow the government’s policy in serving community and bringing down the poverty.

The minister said the federal government would soon launch mega development projects including supply of natural gas to Balakot and Oghi tehsils.

“We’re making policies, which could promote merit in public departments,” he said.

District nazim Sardar Said Ghulam also spoke on the occasion, where local government representatives and notables showed up in large numbers.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2016