Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday sought details of the programme ‘Let Girls Learn’ through which Michelle Obama, the former United States first lady, granted $70 million to Maryam Nawaz in order to promote girls education in Pakistan.

A division bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, was hearing a petition seeking an inquiry against alleged misappropriation of almost Rs 7 billion granted for promotion of girls’ education.

The woman petitioner, Bisma Noreen, a civil rights activist submitted that former PM Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and Michelle Obama had signed a contract to enhance Pak-US corporation and vowed to work together on expanding opportunities of education for girls in Pakistan. She said that not a single penny was spent on education as no programme was launched by the government.

She said that no one knew where the amount was utilized, alleging that the $70 million had been embezzled. Making the National Accountability Bureau chairman, the Prime Minister’s House, Ministry of Finance and Maryam as the respondents, the petitioner requested the court to direct NAB to investigate the matter and bring the culprits to justice.

Bisma also questioned Maryam’s authority to run government’s affairs, maintaining that she did so without holding any public office. The federal authorities were asked by the petitioner to explain under which capacity the former prime minister’s daughter had signed the agreement.

The federal law officer requested the judges to grant them time as they had been seeking the response from the authorities in this regard.

While accepting his request, the court adjourned the hearing till October 16 and directed the federal law officer to place on record the details of programme ‘Let Girls Learn’ in Pakistan.

The agreement was signed in July 2016 under which 200,000 girls were to be provided skill-training and scholarships.

Published in Daily Times, September 27^th 2017.