Conspiracies being hatched to isolate Pakistan: Firdous

KARACHI: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Monday that enemies were trying to isolate Pakistan in the region, but they could not succeed in their motives.

Speaking during a media talk at the Karachi Press Club, she said the confidence of the Pakistani diaspora in the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan — a reference to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) community event at Washing­ton’s Capital One Arena on Sunday — had made it clear that the enemies of the country could not succeed in their nefarious designs.

Ms Awan expressed the hope that overseas Pakistanis would play a role in bringing Pakistan and the United States closer.

Airing her expectations of good things to come for Pakistan, she said the nation’s efforts and sacrifices in the war against terror deserved recognition. “The green passport will be recognised and be given the respect which it truly deserves as the prime minister goes from strength to strength in promoting our narrative of peace,” she said.

Ms Awan said people should not promote the negative agenda of the enemies against the country, adding that if they had any grievance they should come to the government for answers.

She said the government wanted to strengthen democracy in the country through providing good governance and upholding the rule of law.

She criticised those political forces who what she called trying to make controversial the process of by-election on a National Assembly’s seat in Ghotki.

The special assistant to the PM appreciated the role of media in portraying a positive image of the country, saying that “media is the first line of defence against all negative forces coming in the way of this country’s progress”.

Earlier during a luncheon with members of the KPC’s governing body and heads of journalists’ unions, Ms Awan condemned an individual act of insolence with the KPC president during a TV talk-show by a PTI leader. She along with Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi apologised for the untoward incident.

She said the KPC, being the first press club in the country as it was founded in 1958, had a special significance in the country’s journalism.

The special assistant to the PM was briefed on problems and challenges being faced by the media. The issues of censorship, withholding of advertisement revenues, pay cuts and job losses were mentioned and she was asked if this was the government’s way of controlling the media.

In response, she said the media had a bigger role in designing the Pakistan Electronic Media Regu­latory Authority’s code of conduct than the government. She rejected the allegation that journalists were being pushed against the wall by the government. She said due to its financial problems, the government was not able to pay all outstanding dues of media houses.