Imran Khan’s two special assistants Zafar Mirza and Tania Aidrus resign

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Two special assistants to the Prime Minister Dr Zafar Mirza and Tania S Aidrus on Wednesday handed down their resignation after they were asked by the government to do so.

Their resignations come days after the opposition lambasted the government following the latter’s move to make public details of the assets and dual nationalities of 20 advisers and special assistants to the prime minister.

Two notifications issued by the Cabinet Division said Prime Minister Imran Khan had accepted both Aidrus and Mirza’s resignations.

Aidrus said she was resigning from her post due to recent criticism levelled against her and the government because of her dual citizenship.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan asked the two special assistants to quit,” an official said. However, both Dr Mirza and Ms Aidrus claimed that they quit on their own.

The official said that Aidrus had created a company, Digital Foundation, which was a case of conflict of interest. She failed to give a satisfactory response to the questions raised by the government, he said.

Dr Mirza, the official said, was unable to give a satisfactory reply about the tremendous hike in drug prices. Another issue was the import of some medicines, he said.

In a tweet, Dr Mirza said he has resigned as special assistant. “I came to Pakistan on a personal invitation of Prime Minister Imran Khan, leaving WHO. I worked hard and honestly. It was a privilege to serve Pakistan. I am satisfied that I leave at a time when COVID-19 has declined in Pakistan as a result of a grand national effort.”

In a tweet, Aidrus said that criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of her citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan. She further said that in the ‘greater public interest’ she has submitted her resignation to the PM.

Aidrus declared in her assets statements that she was a Canadian national. In her resignation letter to the prime minister, she said I have the honour and privilege to serve since earlier this year.

“I am grateful for reposing trust in me. I returned to Pakistan with the singular intent to contribute and develop the vision of digital Pakistan, a concept which you have always voiced and I share. I always was and shall be a Pakistani. I believe the recent discourse in the public sphere about my Canadian nationality, which is a consequence of my birth and not an acquisition of choice, is a distraction to my ability to execute on the long term vision for a digital Pakistan. It is unfortunate that a Pakistani’s desire to serve Pakistan is clouded by such issues.”

Aidrus was appointed as SAPM this year in February. Before coming back to Pakistan she had been working for Google for 12 years in various leadership roles, her last one being “Director, Product, Payments for Next Billion Users.”