Tania Aidrus resigns as PM’s aide citing controversy about her dual nationality
ISLAMABAD: Former Google executive Tania Aidrus on Wednesday resigned as special assistant to the prime minister on ‘Digital Pakistan’, citing the controversy regarding her dual nationality.
In a tweet, Tania Aidrus said that she had submitted her resignation from the role of SAPM in the greater public interest as criticism was being levied towards the state over her dual nationality.
Also Read: Meet Tania Aidrus: the woman leading PM’S ‘Digital Pakistan’ initiative
“Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan. In the greater public interest, I have submitted my resignation from the SAPM role. I will continue to serve my country and the PM’s vision to my best ability,” she wrote along an image of her resignation.
In her letter, she regretted that the discourse in the public sphere about her Canadian nationality was a distraction to her ability to execute on the long term vision for a Digital Pakistan. “It is unfortunate that a Pakistani’s desire to serve the country is clouded by such issues,” she said.
Extending her resignation, she wrote that she would continue to serve Imran Khan’s vision and Pakistan through initiatives both in the private and public domain, where possible.
Tania Aidrus has spent a significant part of her life outside Pakistan, studying at the world’s best schools and working in the vanguard of a global tech industry. In the end of last year, she was given the formidable task of leading the country into the digital age.
Former Chief of Staff and Head of Strategic Initiatives on the Next Billion Users (NBU) team at Google, Tania Aidrus quit her position a few months ago to spearhead Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘Digital Pakistan’ Initiative. She wanted to “put Pakistan on the map” in the fields of innovation and technology.
It is unsurprising why Tania was chosen for the task of leading Pakistan’s digital transformation owing to her strong familiarity with the world of digital technology.
The former Google executive holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BSc from Brandeis University. She has co-founded a mobile health diagnosis company called ClickDiagnosis which connected rural patients in emerging markets to doctors around the world.
She also served as leader in the Global Business Organisation at Google in the US before going onto becoming Country Manager for South Asia Frontier Markets at Google in Singapore.
