Rubina Khalid Reviews Nationwide Rollout of Free SIMs for BISP’s Social Protection Wallet

By Dr Ansab Ali
Lahore, Pakistan

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has launched a nationwide rollout of free SIMs for its new Social Protection Wallet, with the pilot phase showing an exceptionally strong response. Beginning on 17 November across 41 districts, more than 22,000 free SIMs were issued within just two days, against a national target of 10.6 million beneficiaries—the largest SIM-based financial access initiative in Pakistan’s history.

Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, and BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid jointly chaired a high-level progress review meeting at the BISP Headquarters on Wednesday. The session assessed real-time progress on the rollout of free SIMs, a key reform aimed at improving transparency, enhancing financial inclusion and ensuring secure digital payments for BISP beneficiaries.

The meeting was attended by BISP Secretary Amer Ali Ahmad, Additional Secretary Dr Asmat Nawaz and all Directors General. Officials briefed the leadership that the pilot phase had received significant public engagement, noting that the initiative ranks among the largest global exercises in women’s financial empowerment and digital transformation.

A major milestone highlighted during the briefing was the support of the State Bank of Pakistan, under which every BISP beneficiary will now receive an individual bank account with full interoperability. This will allow women to withdraw funds from any partner bank’s channel—markedly improving convenience, access and transparency.

All eligible women have been advised to collect their free SIMs from the nearest BISP office or designated campsite by 31 December. The initiative is designed to strengthen beneficiary protection, reduce fraud risks and support Pakistan’s evolving digital payments ecosystem.

Directors General from BISP’s regional offices also shared regional progress updates. Minister Syed Imran Ahmed Shah commended the pace of implementation and the performance demonstrated thus far.