Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday launched 10 million digital wallets for beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), calling it a “historic milestone” in Pakistan’s journey toward financial transparency and a cashless economy.
At the inauguration ceremony, Sharif symbolically launched the system with a palm touch, emphasizing that the initiative empowers the country’s most vulnerable citizens with secure, direct access to assistance. The digital wallets will be linked to beneficiaries’ national identity cards and secured through biometric verification to prevent fraud.
The initiative also includes the distribution of 10 million free SIM cards to ensure connectivity, with the initial rollout already under way in Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Rahim Yar Khan in partnership with Jazz/Mobilink.
Sharif noted that 78% of a recent Ramadan relief package had already been distributed digitally, underscoring the efficiency and transparency of electronic transactions. “Cashless transactions save time, end corruption, and bring efficiency,” he said, urging BISP to tie financial support to health and education outcomes, such as ensuring children’s school attendance. He also directed officials to cut implementation timelines from up to ten months to just four.
BISP chairwoman Rubina Khalid described the initiative as part of the country’s social protection transformation, emphasizing that benefits tied to women’s CNICs enhance inclusion and visibility in national databases. She added that digital literacy programs will help beneficiaries adapt to the system, framing the project as a continuation of Benazir Bhutto’s vision for women’s empowerment.
BISP Secretary Amir Ali Ahmed confirmed that a high-level committee would oversee transparency and user-friendliness, with biometric safeguards protecting against misuse.
The programme, which supports over 10 million low-income families, now represents one of the largest digital social protection expansions in Pakistan’s history, arriving at a time of economic strain and rising inflation.
