After nearly two decades, more than 10.2 million beneficiary families and over Rs. 3.6 trillion in public spending, it is time to ask whether Pakistan’s anti-poverty strategy should evolve from providing relief to creating lasting opportunities.
When the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was launched in July 2008, it marked a significant step in Pakistan’s efforts to protect its most vulnerable citizens. Established as the country’s flagship social protection programme, BISP sought to shield poor households from the effects of inflation and economic hardship. At the same time, its long-term objectives were equally ambitious: to reduce poverty and empower women by making them the direct recipients of financial assistance.
Eighteen years later, BISP has grown into Pakistan’s largest social safety net. It has expanded from 1.76 million beneficiary families in 2008–09 to more than 10.2 million families by 2025–26. Annual government allocations have risen from approximately Rs. 34 billion to over Rs. 700 billion, bringing total public expenditure on the programme to more than Rs. 3.6 trillion.
These figures reflect the government’s continued commitment to supporting vulnerable households. They also invite an important question:
Has Pakistan reduced poverty to the extent that such a massive investment would lead us to expect?
There is no denying that BISP has improved the lives of millions. Independent evaluations by the World Bank, Oxford Policy Management and the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) show that the programme has helped families meet basic needs, improved food security, increased school enrolment through education-linked cash transfers and strengthened women’s financial inclusion by placing financial resources directly in their hands. During periods of economic crisis, natural disasters and high inflation, BISP has served as an essential lifeline for many households.
Yet the programme’s own evaluations also reveal an important reality.
How many of the more than 10.2 million beneficiary families have permanently escaped poverty?
The evidence suggests that there is no credible national study demonstrating that millions of beneficiary families have permanently graduated out of poverty because of BISP alone. Independent evaluations conclude that while many households became less poor and more financially secure, most remained poor or economically vulnerable. PIDE found that only a relatively small proportion moved beyond extreme poverty, while many continued to live in chronic poverty despite receiving regular assistance.
This should not be viewed as a criticism of BISP. Rather, it reflects the nature of cash transfer programmes.
A monthly payment can help parents put food on the table, buy medicines, keep children in school and cope with rising prices. It can reduce immediate hardship and protect families from falling deeper into poverty. But cash assistance alone cannot create jobs, develop technical skills, improve productivity or build successful businesses. It treats the symptoms of poverty without necessarily addressing its underlying causes.
This is where Pakistan’s development strategy deserves careful reconsideration.
Imagine if even part of the resources devoted to recurring cash transfers were invested in vocational education, digital skills, apprenticeships, technical training, entrepreneurship and small-business development. If comprehensive training cost around Rs. 100,000 per participant, an investment of Rs. 300 billion could equip approximately three million people with marketable skills every year. Even under a conservative assumption that only 60% of participants secured employment or became self-employed, nearly 1.8 million individuals could join the productive workforce annually. Over a decade, such investments could transform millions of lives, strengthen the economy, expand the tax base and reduce long-term dependence on government support. These figures are illustrative projections, but they demonstrate the economic potential of investing in human capability.
The lesson is not that Pakistan should abandon social protection. On the contrary, programmes like BISP remain indispensable for widows, persons with disabilities, the elderly and families facing temporary hardship. A compassionate society must continue to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
However, for millions of able-bodied young Pakistanis, the greatest form of assistance is not a monthly stipend but the opportunity to acquire skills, secure productive employment and build a better future for their families.
This requires both the federal and provincial governments to complement social protection with greater investment in education, technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship, agricultural modernisation, industrial development and labour-intensive infrastructure. Such policies take longer to produce results, but they offer something cash transfers alone cannot: the opportunity for people to escape poverty permanently.
Relief is essential.
Opportunity is transformational.
Pakistan’s fight against poverty should therefore enter a new phase—one that continues to protect the vulnerable while placing equal emphasis on creating capable, skilled and economically independent citizens.
History will not judge our success solely by how many people received financial assistance. It will judge us by how many no longer needed it.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of this website. The website does not endorse or oppose any opinion presented herein.
