SHC orders report on how $70m US grant was utilised

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the federal law officer on Tuesday to submit a report on how a multi-million-dollar US grant for a project to educate Pakistani girls was utilised.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Bisma Naureen, who told the court that former American first lady Michelle Obama had announced an education programme titled ‘Let Girls Learn’ in collaboration with the Pakistani government.

Bisma said the USAID project would provide $70 million (approximately Rs7.38 billion) to new and ongoing USAID programmes to benefit more than 200,000 girls aged between 10 and 19 years across the country.

She added that the programme was announced in October 2015 during an event at the White House, where now-former prime minister 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 anti-graft watchdog to conduct an inquiry into utilisation of the grant and take appropriate action if Maryam had misused it.

The court was informed by the federal law officer that a letter had been sent to the relevant ministry and their response was awaited. Granting time, the SHC directed the law officer to submit a report on utilisation of funds on October 16.

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 the country.

Lyari Expressway

The SHC took exception over non-payment of compensation to the families affected by the Lyari Expressway and directed the director of the Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project and the deputy commissioners to appear in court with complete records.

The petitioners’ counsel, Shaukat Sheikh, told the bench that the affected families from Sher Shah, Liaquatabad and others localities were yet to be compensated despite a lapse of years. The petition said that more than Rs220 million were outstanding and the government was yet to pay the amount to the families affected by the Lyari Expressway.

The SHC directed the deputy commissioners to convene a meeting to resolve the issue of compensating the affected families. The court also directed the deputy commissioners to submit a compliance report.

Appeal dismissed

The SHC dismissed the appeal of two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in a case pertaining to possession of illegal weapons and explosive substances.

MQM workers Akbar Ali and Mohammad Asif were sentenced to seven years in prison by an anti-terrorism court for possessing illegal weapons and explosive substances.

The appellant had preferred the appeal against the conviction and requested the court to set aside the sentence. After perusal of the evidence of the case, however, the bench dismissed the appeal, but commuted the sentence from seven to five years.