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       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.

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       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 comm-ission 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 Intern-ational Institute for Global Health’s International Advisory Board.

       Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024