Rs24bn BISP Irregularities: 140,000 Govt Employees Drew Aid Meant for Poor
Financial irregularities amounting to Rs24 billion have been uncovered in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), with more than 140,000 government employees and pensioners found to have received funds intended for deserving families. Recoveries so far amount to just Rs710 million.
According to documents presented by the Poverty Alleviation Ministry in the National Assembly, 140,488 government employees received payments from the programme despite being ineligible. The irregularities were identified in 2019, but payments continued for six years.
BISP irregularities year by year
During the fiscal year 2019-20, government employees and pensioners received Rs23.13 billion from BISP. A further Rs900 million was paid out even after the government employees had been identified as ineligible.
Official records show the problem persisted across successive years. More than 12,000 employees received Rs146.7 million in 2020-21. The documents record 2,447 government employees receiving funds in 2021-22, followed by 2,235 in 2022-23 and 12,078 in 2024-25.
The findings also revealed that 236 BISP employees were among those who received funds earmarked for poor beneficiaries. Spouses of government employees were also found to be involved in the irregularities.
Recoveries far short of the loss
Against the total irregularities of Rs24 billion, recoveries have reached only Rs710 million. The Federal Investigation Agency recovered Rs540 million, while other government departments recovered Rs145 million. BISP recovered a further Rs21.5 million from its own employees.
The records of employees allegedly involved have been forwarded to the relevant departments for further action. Authorities have also decided to scrutinise the records of more than 600,000 government employees and pensioners.
The disclosures have brought renewed attention to the programme’s oversight mechanisms, particularly its failure to stop payments after the irregularities were identified and the limited amount recovered against the reported sum.
Wider cleanup under way
Separately, the ministry informed the National Assembly that more than 2.25 million ineligible beneficiaries were removed from BISP between July 2025 and June 2026, while payments to over 800,000 people identified as ineligible were stopped. The ministry also reported receiving 55,579 complaints in the previous fiscal year involving unauthorised deductions, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.
BISP is Pakistan’s flagship social protection programme, providing cash assistance to low-income households. The scale of the irregularities raises serious questions about how a programme meant for the country’s poorest ended up paying billions to government servants, including its own staff.
For context on how public money oversight keeps failing, audit findings of Rs222 billion in irregularities at the Communications Ministry and NAB’s push to cut the graft probe threshold show the same pattern across government: huge sums flagged, little recovered.
Frequently asked questions
How much was misappropriated in the BISP scandal?
Documents presented in the National Assembly put the irregularities at Rs24 billion, with 140,488 government employees and pensioners receiving funds meant for poor families.
How much has been recovered?
Only Rs710 million has been recovered so far: Rs540 million by the FIA, Rs145 million by other departments and Rs21.5 million by BISP from its own employees.
What action is being taken?
Records of the employees involved have been forwarded to relevant departments, and authorities will scrutinise more than 600,000 government employees and pensioners. Over 2.25 million ineligible beneficiaries were also removed from the programme in the last fiscal year.
