ISLAMABAD:

After 16 years of neglect and remaining at the mercy of agents, over 10 million of Pakistan's poorest women have for the first time become account holders and will soon start receiving monthly cash stipends under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) without standing in queues.

The BISP beneficiaries, who were captured clients of commercial banks, did not have bank accounts till recently and used to receive stipends through a limited liability account.

The banks were not willing to treat the poorest women at par with other clients despite charging a 0.5% fee on their transactions and sometimes using their money without paying any interest to either the government or the beneficiary.

It took over 16 years to open 10 million accounts for these women, and that became poss

See Full Page