ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference against Farzana Raja, a former Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) chairperson and a sitting PPP MNA, for abuse of power. In a petition filed in an Islamabad accountability court on Monday, NAB accused Raja of causing a Rs1.5 billion loss to the national exchequer. NAB Chairperson Justice (r) Javed Iqbal approved the reference against the PPP leader on December 3, 2019. In January, PM’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation and current BISP Chairperson Sania Nishtar revealed that nearly 140,000 government employees had been receiving payments under the welfare scheme. A few days prior to the revelation, Nishtar had announced the removal of 820,000 “undeserving” beneficiaries.

Source: Pakistan Today March 02, 2020 16:52 UTC