ISLAMABAD, Dec 13 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday reiterated that the government was not creating any hurdle in the freedom of expression as it fully believed in independence of media.
The opposition parties were making false propaganda that the government was imposing curbs on freedom of expression which was totally incorrect and misleading, Dr Firdous told the media outside the Parliament House.
She said Prime Minister Imran Khan had constituted a high-powered committee, comprising representatives of media bodies, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), and other stakeholders to resolve issues pertaining to journalists.
The special assistant said the government was playing its due role to bridge the gap between media workers and the media houses’ owners.
She said that a Member National Assembly did try to mislead the Parliament about Information Commission which was tantamount to hurting the sanctity of the House.
Some elements were serving their vested interests in the name of freedom of expression, she added.
On the contrary, she said the commission was fully functional and had received several applications so far to get required information under Right to Information Act.
Dr Firdous said the international monetary institutions were projecting Pakistan’s economy as stabilized which was the testimony of the fact that the government’s reforms had started yielding desired results.
She said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had faced multiple challenges on economic front when it took the power last year. Now, the country had been turned into a safe haven for foreign investors due to the government’s prudent policies, she added.
“Foreign investors are being provided conducive environment to encourage their valuable investments in diverse fields,” she remarked.
Dr Firdous stressed the need for projecting Pakistan’s positive image abroad.
Condemning the recent clash between two students’ groups at a university, she said student unions played central role in political grooming of youth but unfortunately some criminal elements took advantage of the situation to exploit the students.
She underlined the need for bringing such elements to the task so as to avoid such incidents in future.