The caretaker government has decided to remove Marvi Memon as chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), it emerged.
According to officials, Caretaker Prime Minister retired Justice Nasirul Mulk has sent a summary to President Mamnoon Hussain, suggesting that Memon be removed as BISP chairperson.
The PPP and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have been demanding her removal as she was an MNA of the previous ruling party, PML-N, and was appointed as the head of BISP by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Memon had been elected to the National Assembly on a reserved seat for women from Sindh in 2013.
She had assumed the office in February 2015 after Enver Baig resigned as BISP chairman in protest after developing differences with the then finance minister Ishaq Dar.
The BISP had been launched by the PPP government in 2009 to provide monetary assistance to poor families.
Memon’s proposed removal has been cited as part of efforts by the caretaker government and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure holding of July 25 elections in a free and fair manner.
The government has recently carried out a massive reshuffling of the bureaucracy at the federal and provincial level, replacing all provincial chief secretaries and inspectors generals of police and other officials appointed by the PML-N government.
Memon, a daughter of former information minister Nisar Memon, had entered politics during the military regime of retired Gen Pervez Musharraf and served as an MNA between 2002 to 2008 of the former ‘king’s party’, PML-Q.
She had joined the PML-N just days before the 2013 general elections. However, she has not been in the good books of the current PML-N leadership reportedly due to her controversial tweets in which she criticised certain policies of the PML-N government.
The PML-N say it is highly unlikely that she will be nominated again by the party for the July 25 elections. Her name was not on the priority list submitted by the party leadership to the ECP for election on the reserved women seats in the National Assembly and the Punjab Assembly.
