Pakistan (Commonwealth Union)_ Shazia Marri, federal minister for poverty alleviation and social safety, announced that the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) will be expanded to cover the transgender population. While addressing a session hosted by the Arts Council, she stated that the transgender individuals belonged to a low part of society and faced economic and social issues in the country. The event began with the screening of a documentary featuring transgender discrimination in Pakistan.
According to Ms Marri, who is one of the chairpersons of BISP, “This is the beginning of pluralistic Pakistan. A marginalized group is given rights in the income support program for the first time in the history of Pakistan.” She stated that transgender individuals were neglected by society, and they hesitate to come forward in front of authorities as a result of society’s attitude towards them. According to Ms. Marri, transgenders registering with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) was a prerequisite for receiving BISP funding.
Ms. Marri further stated that transgender individuals must first enroll with Nadra and then go to a BISP center for further processing in order to get Rs 7,000 quarterly cash support. She reported that three transgender individuals have already enrolled with BISP. According to her, the BISP provided financial assistance to nearly 900,000 households throughout the nation, and that the purpose of the program was to benefit the impoverished. In addition, she also gave Rs 7,000 to each of the three registered transgender individuals.
Later, when she addressed the media, she stated that the federal government would do everything in its power to ensure that the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would not have a negative impact on the poor people of the country, given that no one was in favor of the country taking out any loans. She stated that the primary interests of the nation will be prioritized during discussions with the IMF. She also condemned the accusations made by former prime minister Imran Khan against former president Asif Ali Zardari, stating that the PTI chairman consistently made irresponsible comments.
