Islamabad: As many as 173 male and female graduates received "Pak-China Friendship Scholarship" certificates while 92 beneficiaries of 3-month vocational training course received Waseela-e-Haq cheques during a function held here on Wednesday.

Training course was offered by "Pak-China Friendship Scholarship" a shared venture of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD).

BISP Chairperson Farzana Raja, Ambassador of China in Pakistan H.E. Liu Jian, Imtiaz Safdar Warriach President PPP Punjab, PPP MNAs Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Nadeem Afzal Chan were also present in the ceremony in which Rs1.5 lac each Waseela-e-Haq cheques worth Rs14 million were distributed amongst 92 beneficiary families.

H.E. Liu Jian, Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan, on the occasion, said China would keep supporting the BISP for its future endeavors as well. He said that the mutual cooperation between the BISP and the CFPD in vocational training is proving a bridge for mutual cooperation between the two countries in the social sector.

Imtiaz Safdar Warriach, President PPP Punjab said the BISP is fulfilling a national obligation of working for poverty reduction.

He said the success of vocational training programme of the BISP is a befitting response to the elements who throw baseless criticism on the programme. Dawn.