Bushra Bibi’s sister Maryam Riaz Wattoo steps down as HEC adviser

ISLAMABAD – Maryam Riaz Wattoo, the sister of Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, has stepped down from a role with the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Reports in local media said Maryam Riaz, who was appointed as an adviser in World Bank's development project in the HEC in 2021, quits the statutory body regulated by the federal government.

As reports reveal that the sister-in-law of the PTI chief bids adieu to HEC, which funds, oversees, and regulates higher education institutions in the country, Watto has not responded to the development or shared the reason to step down from the role.

Her appointment raised several questions as Maryam Riaz was not working physically and took the charge during her stay in the United Arab Emirates. 

Before joining HEC, she had been serving as director of the University of United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A data Scientist by profession, with expertise in large-scale Database Systems and Enterprise Resource Planning systems, Watto remained a part of various projects of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, World Bank, UNDP, and UNESCO.

Wattoo did her MBA from London Business School and worked previously at various senior levels of administration, in addition to her experience in advanced database systems, computer programming, planning, and analysis.