Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has dismissed four of its gazetted officers working in grade 17 for allegedly enrolling their spouses as BISP beneficiaries to unlawfully receive financial assistance that is offered to the poor deserving families.

According to details released by BISP Director Media Fasih Ullah Wazir, the officers dismissed from BISP are Nouman Zaheem, Shafi Ullah, Syed Fazle Amin and Sabeel Khan.

The details of these officers provided by Wazir are as follow:

Zaheem was serving as assistant director BISP at BISP tehsil office Parova, Dera Ismail Khan. He was appointed at BISP on contract basis on July 1, 2011. He managed to get his wife enrolled as a BISP beneficiary on September 15, 2011, leading to withdrawal of unconditional cash grant of Rs 130,374.

Shafi was serving as AD BISP at BISP tehsil office Sarai Naurang, Bannu. He was appointed at BISP on contract basis on July 1, 2011. He managed to get his wife enrolled as a BISP beneficiary on May 15, 2012, leading to withdrawal of unconditional cash grant of Rs 124,874.

Amin was serving as AD BISP at BISP tehsil office, Abbottabad. He was appointed at BISP on contract basis on July 1, 2011. He managed to get his wife enrolled as a BISP beneficiary on July 11, 2011, leading to withdrawal of unconditional cash grant of Rs 89,474.

Khan was serving at BISP tehsil office, Palas, Abbottabad. He was appointed at BISP on contract basis on July 1, 2011.

He managed to get his wife enrolled as a BISP beneficiary on February 10, 2014, leading to withdrawal of unconditional cash grant of Rs 95,474.

All the accused did not inform BISP of the conflict of interest of having a BISP beneficiary in their household. They were proceeded against under the related sections of Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1973 by BISP's director general human resource.

The entire embezzled amount of Rs 440,196, has been recovered from the four accused.

Last month, the BISP had announced that it had removed 820,165 undeserving beneficiaries from its list which included 2,543 offices from grade 17 to grade 21 and that the steps were being taken to initiate action against them and recover the amount they had received as unconditional cash grant.