At least 21 women were injured in a stampede during the disbursement of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) funds at the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Ground on Monday.
According to the details, women were queued outside the BISP centre when the stampede broke out. As a result, 20 women fell unconscious.
Rescue vehicles rushed to the scene and shifted injured women to the Civil Hospital for treatment. Rescue officials indicated that one woman’s condition was critical in the wake of the incident.
SHO Hameed said that around “2,000 to 3,000” women had arrived to collect the funds. He suspected that the lock on the main gate was broken due to which a huge number of women entered, leading to the stampede.
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The official regretted that there was only one BISP centre — the KPT Ground — for the entire Keamari district, where women from Machar Colony, Musharraf Colony, Kharadar and Mithadar came to collect funds.
Launched in 2008, the BISP provides cash handouts to the needy and also played a crucial role during the COVID times when financial assistance was given to people during extreme economic distress.
Last Monday, Benazir Income Support Programme announced releasing the fourth quarterly tranche of Benazir Kafaalat cash assistance. However, its distribution lately has been less than ideal.
Earlier, a video went viral on social media showing two cops beating poor female BISP beneficiaries at the distribution centre. The disturbing video showed a policeman forcefully pushing and beating women with sticks, while they gathered at Babara High School in Charsadda to collect their BISP instalments.
Netizens reacted strongly to the video. They condemned the maltreatment of women and demanded that the government find a dignified way to deliver the BISP amount to the beneficiaries.
Federal Minister and BISP Chairperson Shazia Atta Marri strongly disapproved of the incident of cops beating female BISP beneficiaries, deeming it “completely unacceptable.”
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