SC sets aside orders to restore BISP retailer’s blocked ID

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that a complaint filed by a Point-of-Sale (PoS) agent against the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) over the blocking of his retailer ID was not maintainable under consumer protection laws. The two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, dismissed the appeal filed by BISP Deputy Director Muhammad Ishaq against a Nov 6, 2025 order of the Peshawar High Court, Bannu bench.

The court held that the complaint under Section 13 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumer Protection Act of 1997 was not maintainable as the relationship did not constitute a “consumer service” arrangement. However, the Supreme Court directed the BISP director general to conduct an inquiry and afford an opportunity of hearing to the respondent to explain the reasons for blocking his PoS agent’s ID.

The authority was also directed to confront him with any complaint received against him by the BISP Directorate and then pass an appropriate order within 45 days. The case was initiated by the respondent, who claimed to be a PoS retailer operating under a franchise agreement for distributing BISP payments. His ID was deactivated by Bank Alfalah in May 2021, and he approached the Consumer Protection Court nearly two years later.

The court noted that no contract or consumer relationship existed between the complainant and the BISP, and since the substratum of the complaint was defective from its inception, the complaint was not maintainable and was liable to be dismissed.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's own syndicated text. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.