Single women aged over 35 who remain unmarried are set to be considered for inclusion in Pakistan’s largest social welfare initiative.
The development was shared during a session of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sub-committee of Public Accounts Committee, where lawmakers reviewed concerns regarding the exclusion of unmarried women from the country’s primary poverty alleviation program.
Committee member Bilal Mandokhail raised the issue, stressing that many unmarried women without family support often belong to highly vulnerable segments of society and should not be left out of state assistance schemes.
In response, officials from the Benazir Income Support Program said that work is underway to expand eligibility criteria to include unmarried women above the age of 35.
They added that the proposed adjustment aims to strengthen social protection coverage for individuals lacking stable income or adequate familial support systems.
The officials further informed the committee that the proposal is still under consideration, and final decisions regarding registration procedures, verification mechanisms, and eligibility rules will be announced once the policy is formally approved.
