7.1.8. Availability of state support mechanism for individuals without social network

In Islamabad, one in every five households received some form of social benefits, as reported by UNHCR in 2024, while overall social protection coverage remains limited, reaching an estimated 2–3 % of the total population and being characterised by fragmentation, and limited funding.2059 Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) is a semi-autonomous social welfare organisation2060 that provides financial support for the poor and for vulnerable individuals.2061 In the ICT, PBM operates five shelter homes,2062 where clients find temporary overnight accommodation, daily meals and healthcare.2063 The nationwide governmental Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), headquartered in Islamabad, offers financial support for poor households,2064 with a special focus on women.2065 Under its Kafaalat programme, female beneficiaries receive a quarterly amount of 14 500 Pakistani rupees [approximately EUR 43.9].2066 Access to BISP is based on a household poverty score ranging from 0 to 100, with eligibility set at 32 or below, and applies to low-income households, including widows, divorced women, single mothers, and persons with disabilities in eligible families.2067

Primarily funded by the EU and with the support of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Pakistan has established three Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs), one of them in Islamabad.2068 MRCs provide free business, legal and reintegration counselling as well as psychosocial support to Pakistani returnees and deportees. Among arrival, MRCs help with registration and provide hygiene kits, water, food, medical assistance, onward transportation, shelter and communication facilities.2069