Govt making efforts to bring stability to economy: Firdous

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Wednesday said the government was making efforts to bring stability to the fledgling economy and reduce burden of the common man.

Speaking at an event here to distribute food packages among media workers, she said the flight of dollar against the rupee had been stopped and the government was focused on creating a sustainable economy.

Prime Minister Imran Khan felt pain of the poor people, she said adding the PM was aware of the price hike and had expressed his concern about difficulties of people.

She said the previous government had no media plan and was responsible for the present crisis in media.

She said she herself was voice of the poor people and would continue to share their concerns with the prime minister.

She recalled the last government tried to come in the way of Imran Khan to  stop him from forming the next government and bombarded the media with advertisements.

The government led by Imran Khan even agreed to make payments for those advertisements which targeted him, she added.

Dr Firdous said the government was making efforts to protect all institutions, adding media workers who work in the background were the first line of defence in protecting national interests.

She said the government was listening to the grievances of journalist community and media owners would be made advertisement payments on the condition that they would in return pay the pending salaries to the workers.

She noted that earlier media houses made unjustified claims of payments which were rationalized.

She assured that media would be taken out of its present crisis like situation, and a comprehensive well thought out policy would be put in place to provide social and job security and facilities of life insurance, housing and health to media persons.

Media would be strengthened so that it could protect rights of the people and guide the government on important national issues, she added.

The Special Assistant said Pakistan Peoples Party was trying to survive politically, adding PPP was now restricted to certain districts of Sindh and security deposit of their candidates was forfeited.

If PPP would not respond to questions asked by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) then it would be thought that something was not right in the financial affairs of its leaders, she added.

She said PPP leadership should do away with its indulgence in corruption because if they did not do it, they would even lose their support in Sindh.

She said National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was only asking questions about the wealth accumulated by PPP leadership but they gathered their political workers to put pressure on NAB.

She condemned the behavior of PPP leadership and said they needed to show political maturity.

She said demand of Bilawal Bhutto to issue production orders of MNA Ali Wazir showed that he lacked political maturity and had digressed from the mission of her mother.

She said the country would only move forward when a corruption free society would be created. “We have to break away from the corruption of the past,” she added.”