ABBOTTABAD: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said that the government could not release the Abbottabad Commission report as yet.
She said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had failed to deliver to the masses and fulfill the promises that its leadership had made with them, with the result that now the federal government was trying to compensate its failures and fulfill those pledges through the development projects in the province.
She made these remarks during her interaction with the Electronic Media Association and while speaking at oath-taking ceremony of the Abbottabad Press Club. She said that while the federal government under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was giving priority to the development projects, the KP government and the opposition were making all out efforts to scuttle the economic advancement through concocted allegations of corruption.
The minister observed that the prime minister had special interest in the development of Hazara and the development projects initiated during the last three and a half years were an irrefutable manifestation of his love for the people of the area. She said that motorway project, gas pipeline, dry port, up-gradation of railway track and hospitals were gifts from the prime minister for the people of the area.
Marriyum predicted that due to the dismal performance of the KP government and the culture of lies introduced in politics, the people of the province would reject them in general election 2018.
The minister said that under the stewardship of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the development in the country had been fast-tracked through the construction of network of motorways and highways, which would not only improve the means of communication but would also change the destiny of the people of the remote areas.
Similarly a record number of development projects in other domains of the national life had also been started which outstripped the number of projects undertaken during the last 70 years, she added.
Marriyum said that as a consequence of these initiatives Pakistan had become the fastest growing economy in the region, as also testified by the international lending and rating agencies.
She said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which was a harbinger of the transformational change in Pakistan and the entire region, was yet another gift from the prime minister to the people of Pakistan and the coming generations, which would also accrue economic and political benefits to 65 countries.
The minister said that those demanding resignation from the prime minister had failed to serve the masses during their tenure. She said that their demand reflected the frustration that they were feeling over their failures and a deliberate attempt to divert the attention of the masses from the ground realities.
The minister revealed that health insurance card scheme would soon be introduced in KP to provide maximum health facilities to the people, as health and education were two top priorities of the federal government.
In regard to the loadshedding, the minister remarked that it would be soon overcome because the government was making all out efforts to tackle it by utilising all resources at its disposal.
Appreciating the role of media in the war against terrorism, the minister said that the government was aware of the problems of the journalist community and therefore it was in the process of introducing a bill for the welfare and safety of the journalist community on the directive of the prime minister.
She assured them that training programmes being launched for capacity building of the media professionals at the national level would also be extended to regional and provincial level so that all could benefit from the initiative.
She informed the journalists that Right to Information Bill would soon be presented in the parliament for enactment to further improve governance in the country. The minister also urged the electronic media to project a positive image of Pakistan through their cameras.
Speaking as chief guest at oath taking ceremony of newly elected office bearers of Abbottabad Press Club here, Marriyum Aurangzeb again reiterated the need for the media to project the positive image of Pakistan by highlighting the achievements of the present government.
She expressed the view that it was responsibility of both print and electronic media to create awareness among the masses about the difference between Pakistan at the time the PML-N government inherited in 2013 and the Pakistan of today.
The minister said that due to the policies and strategies unfurled by the government to confront the inherited challenges the country had not only embarked on the path of sustained economic growth, but the scourge of terrorism had also been checked in its tracks and the country was fast returning to peace and normalcy. She said that media persons remained on the forefront in the war against terrorism and their contribution was praise worthy.
Marriyum pointed out that it was ironical that the rulers of KP were worried more about the problems faced by the people of Karachi, rather than focusing on delivering to the people of their own province and mitigating their sufferings.
She said that the incidents like Mardan were a sequel to the language used by the head of a political party against his political opponents and the humiliation that he piled on the state institutions.
Later, the delegation of Havalian Press Club also met the minister and expressed their issues with reference to the performance of their professional obligations. Marriyum Aurangzeb assured her full support in resolving their problems and reiterated that the government would continue to facilitate the growth of a free and responsible media in Pakistan.
