Are Ehsaas and BISP the Right Way to Go?: Social safety nets vs. rights-based social protection in the wake of COVID-19 in Pakistan

By Mashal Nadeem, Rahma Aslam, Navaira Ramzan and Arsalan Khatti


As members of a community, there are certain expectations we have of our collective group. These expectations include that of social care and support from the group, in the form of healthcare, poverty protection and general help in times of hardship. In the modern nation-state, this form of support often takes the form of “social protection”, which UNICEF has defined as “a range of policies and programmes needed to reduce the lifelong consequences of poverty and exclusion” (UNICEF). These policies include activities ranging from cash-transfer programs for people within the earning bracket, to social support housing, to skill-development programs to empower people to gain employment.

A developing country with an Islamic foundation, Pakistan has social protection laws written in its constitution; however, it has faced numerous difficulties in implementing social policies and protection measures for all citizens. These range from having a largely informal, agricultural workforce, to lack of government implementation abilities in far-flung areas, to security threats to governmental associations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of these implementation difficulties became even more evident – and even more in need of change.

Pakistan’s social protection activities have grown over the years, with two key programs becoming well-known nationwide: the 2008 Benazir Income Support Program, also known as BISP, and the 2019 Ehsaas Program. These two programs have different approaches to social protection, namely Social Safety Net programs and a growing Rights-Based Approach.

By analysing the importance of a social safety net approach and a rights-based approach, this paper will examine the effectiveness of both social protection programs during COVID-19 in Pakistan in order to provide a deeper understanding and further recommendations for how to prepare the nation in case of further emergency and/or disasters.

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