LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that the opposition parties should support the government in election and judicial reforms initiatives, and expressed the ruling party’s willingness to initiate negotiations, urging Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif to name a focal person for the purpose.
Talking to media persons in Lahore, Fawad said that the electronic voting system is the remedy to the election rigging claims often made by the political parties, adding that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be tried in the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.
The minister said the government wants to improve working relations with the opposition, adding that the government is making sincere efforts to work with the opposition so that constructive discussions could start on election reforms in the country.
Fawad dispelled the impression that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has raised any objection to the use of EVM technology and said that it is the government who gives rules and regulations while the ECP is supposed to adopt the technology and give feedback on its pros and cons.
He said that a ruling party’s delegation would meet some ECP officials on Wednesday and share policy guidelines of the government on elections reforms.
He said the EVMs can be used in some of the constituencies during the AJK elections, adding that he would soon give a demonstration of EVM at Lahore Press Club and National Press Club, besides the bar councils in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan and Lahore, where elections are held annually.
Talking about the upcoming budget, Fawad said that the passage of the federal and provincial budgets would be a smooth sailing for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) government, adding that all the allied political parties have assured the government of their support and all are on one page.
The information minister said that the country’s economy is stable and improving despite the adverse economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that economies of the neighbouring countries have faltered significantly during the pandemic. He said the main goals of the budget 2021-22 are to enhance development budget, control dearness in the country and provide relief to the salaried class, besides increasing revenues.
On the Financial Action Task Force, Fawad said that the government has achieved great success as the country’s rating on the FATF has improved, adding that the efforts of Minister Hammad Azhar and the law ministry are laudable in this regard.
Talking about the disputes within the opposition parties, Fawad said that the opposition parties are faced with internal disintegration as there are differences between Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) while in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur are embroiled in power struggle.
Taking turn to Pakistan Democratic Movement Chief Fazl-ur-Rehman, he said the power of votes of 20 million people in the general election 2018 brought the PTI into power, adding that Fazl cannot win that power even in the next 200 years.
He said Fazl has badly failed in keeping his politics alive, adding that he should quit politics and pursue his own trade of solemnising marriages as a religious leader instead.
On Shehbaz being allowed to go abroad, he said that the government has placed him on the Exit Control List (ECL) and he should contest his case in the court for any permission.
When asked about PTI estranged leader Jahangir Tareen’s cases, he said that the PTI parliamentarians have personal relations with Jahangir and they have been appearing with him during court hearings, adding that there is nothing abnormal about it. “All PTI parliamentarians and Jahangir Khan Tareen believe in the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and they know the premier will not allow any injustice to anybody.”
Talking about Indian propaganda on the issues of freedom of press in Pakistan, the information minister said that press is free in Pakistan, adding that there are 112 local and 43 foreign channels currently being run in the country.
He said Indian network is responsible for creating such uncertainty and 825 fake websites being run by India have recently discovered, adding that such freedom of press is not possible in the third world countries.
The minister said even the first world countries could not claim of such freedom of press, saying could anybody write on the holocaust in Germany or about Israel in the United Sates. He said the countries have their own limitations and all should live within them, adding that freedom of expression for the West is blasphemy for us.
