Pakistan has recorded a major decline in child stunting under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP), along with improvements in maternal and newborn health outcomes. An evaluation conducted by the Aga Khan University (AKU) revea­led that stunting rates among beneficiary children were 22 per cent lower at six months of age and 18 percent lower at one year of age. The findings were unveiled by AKU during a session on the Endline Impact Evaluation of the BNP held at the BISP headquarters here on Thursday. Speaking at the event, federal Mi­­nister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah termed the results a major achievement for Pakistan’s social protection sector.