No, the Pakistani government has not appointed a new chairperson to run a federal welfare programme

This Facebook post along with several others carrying the same image of the alleged appointment letter and a photo of PTI MP Maleeka Bokhari claim the parliamentarian has been appointed “as chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme”.

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Screenshot of misleading report

This report by the broadcaster Lahore News also said that Bokhari had been appointed as the chairperson of the programme.

It added that Bokhari was a sister of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s close friend and aide Zulfi Bokhari -- a claim that the MP later denied in a tweet.

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)  is a federal financial aid  programme that provides unconditional cash transfers to impoverished residents. It was created  in 2008 and named after the late prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Bokhari wrote in a tweet  that she has not been given the job and also said she was not related to Zulfi Bokhari.

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Screenshot of tweet

“I want to categorically put it on record that I have not been appointed as Head of BISP.  I am also not related to Zulfi Bokhari.  I hope this suffices & should put the discussion to an end,” she said.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a tweet responding to the incident also said: "A series of Fake notifications and news is systematically spread on social media.”

“Without effecting (sic) freedom on (Social Media) we need to take strict action against fake news,” Chaudhry added.

A spokesperson for BISP Samina Farzeen also told AFP that the government has not appointed a new chairperson for the programme.

“So far the government of Pakistan has not appointed a chairperson,” Farzeen said.

Following a raft of fake news reports spreading on social media in Pakistan, the PTI government has launched a dedicated Twitter account to debunk similar fake reports.