SHC plea seeks inquiry into utilisation of $70m education grant

A petition seeking an inquiry into utilisation of a multi-million-dollar US grant for a project to educate Pakistani girls was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday.

Petitioner Bisma Naureen told the court that US First Lady Michelle Obama had announced an education programme titled ‘Let Girls Learn’ in coordination with the Pakistani government.

She said the USAID project would provide $70 million to new and ongoing USAID programmes that benefit more than 200,000 adolescent girls aged between 10 and 19 years across the country.

She added that the programme was announced last October during an event at the White House, where Premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz was also present.

The petitioner claimed that Maryam had misused the office of the prime minister despite being Maryam Safdar. She expressed apprehension that the grant could be misused.

She told the court that she had written to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Ministry of Finance for conducting an inquiry into utilisation of the $70 million grant but her request was ignored.

Citing the finance ministry, the PM’s secretary, NAB and Maryam as respondents, the petitioner requested the SHC to direct the accountability bureau to conduct an inquiry into utilisation of the grant and take appropriate action if Maryam misused it.

According to USAID, ‘Let Girls Learn’ is a new whole-of-government initiative to ensure that adolescent girls get the education they deserve.

Announced in October 2015, ‘Let Girls Learn-Pakistan’ would seek opportunities to foster public-private partnerships and collaborate with other development partners to advance girls’ education and empowerment.

The programme would serve as a platform and catalyst for broader political and social commitment to strengthen adolescent girls’ education and empowerment in Pakistan.