BISP Plans Six Month Residential Hunarmand Pilot for 300 Beneficiaries in Haripur
BISP plans a six month residential Hunarmand pilot for 300 people at PAF-IAST Haripur, it was reported. See the sectors, who may qualify and what to do now.
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BISP plans a six month residential skills pilot for 300 beneficiaries at PAF-IAST in Haripur, it was reported on 6 November 2026. At least half the places are for women. BISP has not yet opened applications or published the rules on its own website, so nobody can apply for it today.
The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) chairperson, Senator Rubina Khalid, gave the details while speaking to the media in Islamabad. The training would run at Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, known as PAF-IAST. It is the first time we have seen BISP describe a live-in course under the Benazir Hunarmand Programme.
One caution comes first. This is a press report of what the chairperson said. When we read BISP's 2026 press release list on 7 November, the newest entry was No. 78, dated 14 September 2026. So the figures below are reported, not read in a BISP document.
The pilot offers six months of live-in training for 300 people
The reported plan is small: 300 beneficiaries from across Pakistan, six months at one campus in Haripur, and three subject areas. The BISP Board approved it as a pilot, which means a trial to test whether the model should grow later.
| Item | What was reported on 6 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Places | 300 beneficiaries from across the country |
| Length | Six months, residential |
| Where | PAF-IAST, Haripur |
| Places for women | At least 50 per cent |
| Approval | BISP Board, date not given |
| Application dates | Not announced |
Residential is the part that matters. A woman from a remote district cannot attend a daily class far from home. A live-in course could solve that, though nothing has been said yet about who pays for travel, food or a family visit.
Training covers hospitality, healthcare and digital skills
Three sectors were named: hospitality and tourism services, healthcare and caregiving, and information technology with digital skills. The plan also includes career counselling, meetings with employers and workplace orientation, with internationally recognised certificates in selected sectors.
- Hospitality Management and Tourism Services: hotel and tourism work.
- Healthcare Services and Caregiving: care work, including for patients and older people.
- Information Technology and Digital Skills: computer and online work.
No course list has been published. So we cannot say what the entry level is, or which courses carry a foreign certificate. Treat any list you see on social media with care until BISP publishes one.
You can only register for the ordinary Hunarmand courses today
No form for the Haripur pilot exists yet that we could find. The regular Benazir Hunarmand registration is open on BISP's portal, and it is the only official route into the programme at present.
Whether a place in Haripur will come through that same portal has not been said. The portal's own rules, as we read them on 9 October 2026, are these: a family in BISP's registry, a trainee aged 18 to 40, Matric or higher, and one person per household. The pilot may set different rules.
- Check that your family is on the register by sending your CNIC to 8171.
- Open hunarmand.bisp.gov.pk and register the trainee for ordinary courses if you want training now.
- Watch BISP's website and its verified social media pages for the Haripur notice.
- Ask your BISP tehsil office if you cannot use the portal.
- Pay nothing to anyone who offers a seat.
That last step is not a small point. BISP's press release No. 71 of 25 August 2026 says it charges no fee for any scheme, service or survey. A person selling a "Haripur seat" is not acting for BISP. Our steps for spotting fake BISP messages and calls apply here too.
The chairperson also gave new figures for wallets and families
In the same remarks she said BISP supports 10.2 million families and that 10 million digital wallet accounts are now open. In August, BISP's own release said wallets were open for 90 per cent of women beneficiaries, so the reported number shows the work is nearly finished.
She named six partners behind the wallets: Habib Bank, Bank Alfalah, Bank of Punjab, HBL Microfinance Bank, Telenor Microfinance Bank and Mobilink Bank. BISP's release No. 50 of 18 June 2026 listed the same group using two brand names, Easypaisa and JazzCash. How to use them is set out in withdrawing BISP money at any partner agent.
| Figure | Reported 6 November 2026 | Earlier in BISP's own releases |
|---|---|---|
| Families supported | 10.2 million | "More than 10 million" (No. 45, 8 June) |
| Digital wallets | 10 million accounts opened | 90 per cent of women (No. 70, 24 August) |
| Children on education stipends | About 12 million | More than 12 million (No. 45) |
| Benazir Nashonuma | 1.4 to 1.5 million children | More than 2.2 million women and children (No. 45) |
The Nashonuma figures are not counted the same way, because one is children alone and the other adds women. The chairperson also asked the media to report any problem with payments, banks or retailers at once.
BISP has already trained about 1,000 people under Hunarmand
The programme is young and still small. BISP's June 2026 release said more than 1,000 young people had certificates and 5,000 more were in training. Against a register of more than 10 million families, a 300 place pilot is a test and not a new national intake.
Agreements with provinces are growing around it. BISP signed with the Punjab Skills Development Fund on 31 July 2026 for training, materials and stipends where applicable. So a Punjab family may find a nearer course long before Haripur opens. Anyone with a skill but no paper can also look at a NAVTTC certificate without classes.
Common questions
Can I apply for the BISP residential course in Haripur now?
No. No application dates or form have been announced. The regular Hunarmand portal is open for ordinary courses only.
How many places does the BISP Haripur pilot have?
300 beneficiaries from across Pakistan were reported, with at least half of the places for women.
What can you study in the BISP residential pilot?
Three sectors were named: hospitality and tourism, healthcare and caregiving, and IT with digital skills. No course list has been published.
Is there a fee for the BISP Hunarmand residential course?
No fee has been announced, and BISP says it charges no fee for any scheme or service. Who pays for travel has not been stated.
Who runs the course?
Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, in Haripur, with BISP, under the Benazir Hunarmand Programme.
Has BISP confirmed this on its website?
Not when we checked on 7 November 2026. Its 2026 press release list ended at 14 September, so we mark these details as reported.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 7 November 2026. The pilot, its sectors and the 10.2 million and 10 million figures are the chairperson's remarks as reported on 6 November 2026, and we could not read them in a BISP document. We read BISP's 2026 press release list and releases No. 45, 50, 66, 70 and 71 ourselves. The portal rules are from hunarmand.bisp.gov.pk as read on 9 October 2026. The helpline is 0800-26477.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
