Fortune-tellers will prove wrong again, says Gilani: Health Insurance Scheme under BISP launched

Fortune-tellers had been predicting the fall of the government since day one, but time had proved them wrong repeatedly as the Pakistan People's Party believed and pursued the policy of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. This was stated by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday while addressing the launch of a revolutionary Health Insurance Scheme initiated under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) here on Thursday.
Gilani regretted that none of the governments were allowed in the past to complete their terms that aborted all their attempts to serve the masses. He said it was Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who gave the country a constitution that had kept the country intact and later made Pakistan a nuclear power.
Gilani said it was an honour for him as brother of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to have restored the 1973 Constitution, but regretted that he was now being asked to provide a list of visitors to the Prime Minister House and his son Musa Gilani had been indicted.
Prime Minister Gilani stressed continuity of the system so that the mass welfare programmes initiated by the government achieve the objective of reaching the poorest of the poor segments.
Gilani termed the launch of the Health and Life Insurance schemes "a dream come true" and recalled his first speech in which he tabled the idea of the Benazir Income Support Programme. He mentioned the international acclaim of the BISP programme and said transparency and the wide reach has made it a success story for international community. He said though the idea initially seemed difficult but lauded Ms Farzana Raja for doing wonders.
The prime minister admitted that initially the BISP programme was launched with a political tilt, with all parties getting share, however after lot of criticism, it was opened up for the poorest of the poor segments. He said some provinces tried to emulate the programme, but since they lacked the will, the commitment and the vision of Shaheed leaders, their programmes failed. He said the programme now has no political shades and has turned into the largest programme to reach out to the marginalised sections of the society.
He said it was important that these programmes run for 5 to ten years to ensure their success, adding that a number of new programmes have been carved with the BISP to enhance its reach and mentioned that three million students would be added to the programmes fold soon.
He said the income support and generation programmes would help the needy families stand up on their feet. Gilani also mentioned the 2.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Malakand that were repatriated to their homes in a record time and were paid compensation through a transparent system.
Chairperson BISP Farzana Raja said the programme reflected the vision of the PPP government towards achieving a true welfare state. She recalled the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani to cover all deserving people, across the country.