The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety has approved the Zakat and Ushr (Amendment) Bill 2025, introduced by MNA Shazia Marri. This legislative step aims to improve the distribution and management of Zakat funds.
During its meeting at the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) headquarters, the committee also established a subcommittee to oversee the implementation of a new payment disbursement model for BISP. The subcommittee, led by Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar as Convenor, includes members Ahmad Atteeq Anwar, Aasia Ishaque Siddiqui, and Mohammad Ilyas Choudhary. Its primary goal is to ensure transparency, efficiency, and fairness in fund distribution.
Ahmed Atteeq Anwar presented a detailed briefing on the subcommittee’s prior findings, which received unanimous approval for their thorough approach.
Expressing concern over the absence of the Secretary of the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, the committee emphasized that any future absences must be communicated in writing well in advance.
The Managing Director of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) provided an update on the organization’s activities and its upcoming nationwide awareness campaign. He also announced a collaborative food distribution initiative with 33 private vendors and invited committee members to visit PBM’s call center.
The BISP Chairperson raised concerns about the organization’s staff shortages, exacerbated by a recruitment ban since 2012, which has forced reliance on deputationists. In response, the committee directed the BISP Secretary to submit a detailed staffing proposal to the government.
Additionally, the committee instructed the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division to present a comprehensive technical and legal briefing on proposed amendments to the Memorandum of Association of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) before any decision on its conversion into a State-Owned Enterprise.
The meeting was chaired by Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur and attended by MNAs Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, Misbah Uddin, Mohammad Ilyas Choudhary, Awais Haider Jakhar, Aasia Ishaque Siddiqui, Muhammad Bashir Khan, Aniqa Mehdi, Arshad Abdullah Vohra, and Jamshaid Ahmad. Additional attendees included Adil Khan Bazai, Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar, Shafqat Abbas, Shahid Usman, and Shazia Marri, with some members participating virtually. Senior officials from the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, BISP, PBM, and PPAF were also present.
