Policies made on advice of security institutions, says Pervaiz

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid on Sunday said the government and the armed forces were on the same page and the policies made by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government with the consensus of all political parties in parliament are based on reports and recommendations forwarded by the security institutions concerned.
Talking to the media at the conclusion of a three-day conference organised by the National Academy of Letters in the city, the minister said the government was committed to protecting the sanctity of all the national institutions, including the armed forces and judiciary. He said the Constitution guaranteed the right of expression but it also disapproved unwarranted remarks against the national institutions, particularly the judiciary and armed forces.
Replying to a question, he said the PML-N government had immediately and strongly responded to the statement made by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain who after realising his fault had also sought an apology.
The government, however, keeping its constitutional obligations in view also believes in cooling down tempers instead of aggravating the situation at any level, he said, responding to another question.
The minister said that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority had taken notice of Altaf Hussain’s speech, while the political parties had also reacted to it. He said Altaf had realised his mistake and apologised for his remarks.
“Altaf Hussain has realised his mistake. We hope that he will not repeat this mistake again,” Pervaiz Rashid said.Answering a query, the minister said the PML-N government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif completely owned the Karachi operation against terrorists as well as the Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Replying to a query about reservations related to the NFC Award, Pervaiz Rashid said the National Finance Commission (NFC) was reactivated by the PML-N government due to which the share of the provinces was also markedly increased. The provinces were now financially stronger. Both the federal and provincial governments were complimenting each other, he added.
The federal government is presently more focused on infrastructure development and financial stability of the country, he added.The minister, in response to a question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, said the PML-N government had some constitutional responsibilities and it therefore worked to defuse instead of igniting differences or misgivings.
Replying a question, the federal minister said not a single drop of water could be released into the canal system without the permission of Irsa, which has the representation of all provinces. He said not a single federating unit has any complaint against the federal government.
Unfortunately, Imran Khan has developed a tendency to get entangled in one or the other issues, often baseless, without any rhyme or reason, he added.To a query about the Cyber Crime Bill, he said this was being enacted to protect the rights of privacy of people and also to counter unethical use of the social media.The bill has been framed in accordance with the country’s Constitution and international laws, he added.