Islamabad: In a significant move to protect the beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson of BISP, convened with Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman, Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), at the PTA headquarters today. The meeting was centered on devising strategies to counteract fraudulent SMS and websites that mislead beneficiaries.

According to Press Information Department, the discussions highlighted measures to combat the unauthorized use of the BISP name in messages and calls, and to block fake websites falsely representing the programme. The partnership between BISP and PTA is poised to enhance security measures for beneficiaries, ensuring they are protected from scams and misinformation. The leaders agreed on launching a national campaign to raise awareness among beneficiaries, establishing a joint committee to monitor progress, verifying beneficiary mobile numbers linked to their national IDs, and crafting a secure mechanism for SIM card issuance to both existing and new beneficiaries. Chairman PTA, Hafeez Ur Rehman, committed to providing full support from the PTA to advance these protective measures.