The PPP and PML-N continued to engage in a war of words over flood relief on Thursday, as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asserted that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was the “sole method” of providing relief to those affected by the recent floods in the country, while PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz accused his party of “politicising” the issue.
The two parties, who are coalition partners in the Centre, have recently been arguing over the means for flood relief, with the PPP insisting on the use of BISP and the PML-N disapproving of the proposition. On Wednesday, after the PML-N questioned the transparency of BISP, the PPP accused its senior partner of showing an “irresponsible attitude” by refusing to use the programme’s data to compensate flood-affected people in Punjab.
BISP is a national safety net programme in Pakistan that provides cash assistance to poor and vulnerable families, particularly targeting women.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi today, Bilawal said: “Across the country, the agriculture sector was already struggling, but after the floods, it has been badly affected. Our national food security may also be at risk.
