ISLAMABAD: Former special assistant to the prime minister on poverty alleviation and social safety Dr Sania Nishtar has resigned as a senator, sources in the Senate secretariat confirmed.

The sources said Dr Nishtar submitted her resignation after joining a Geneva-based international organisation.

She served as a special assistant to the PM from May 2019 to April 2022, enjoying the status of a federal minister.

During the time, she also remained chairperson of Ehsaas programme, the flagship social safety net and poverty alleviation programme launched by the PTI government.

She was elected to Senate from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the 2021 Senate elections.

Dr Nishtar is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Gavi, a vaccine alliance. She is an internationally acclaimed public health and development expert having a degree in medicine.

A recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Global Innovation Award, Dr Nishtar is known for her work in public healthcare.

Dr Nishtar co-chaired WHO’s high-level comm­ission on non-communicable diseases along with the presidents of Uruguay, Finland and Sri Lanka.

She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the future of healthcare and co-chairs the US National Academy of Sciences global study on the quality of healthcare in low- and middle-income countries.

She also chairs the United Nations Intern­ational Institute for Global Health’s International Advisory Board.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024