ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) did not need any instruction from the government as it was bound to act in line with security parameters set in the National Action Plan if any person at any place would form jathas (bands) and attack the state.
Flanked by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, she told a press conference here, Pemra did not need instructions from her, the ministry or the government for following the parameters of National Action Plan. It is already a consensus agenda and Pemra is following it.
The special assistant said when the National Action Plan was made and its terms of reference were set, all the stakeholders, including Pemra, were given a working a 13-point paper in which their boundaries were defined. She said the nation would be united on the black day against India to be observed on October 27. Prime Minister Imran Khan as a spokesman, advocate and ambassador of Kashmiris was engaging the world and at that time sending a message of disunity and chaos at home would sabotage the unity of the day which was linked to the national interest.
She said holding protest was the right of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the government accepted that right.
Meanwhile in a tweet on social media platform Twitter Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said Prime Minister Imran Khan informed the Saudi leadership about the grave human rights situation, communication blockade and continuing lockdown in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
She said curfew was continuing for the last 73 days while more than eight million Kashmiris were besieged in their homes in Occupied Kashmir and the valley was turned into a jail.
She said after Iran, the Saudi leadership also appreciated the sincere efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan for ending tension in the region and for ensuring peace and stability, which made him a prominent leader of Muslim Ummah.
Pakistan was desirous of promoting sentiments of brotherhood and harmony among brotherly Islamic countries, she said adding the unity of Muslim Ummah was the guarantee of peace and economic stability in the region.
The Special Assistant said Saudi Arabia reiterated its support for the Kashmir issue and stressed on resolving it through peaceful means.
The visit of Imran Khan would increase mutual trust between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the bilateral relations based on close cooperation in different fields would further strengthen, she observed. Dr Firdous said the Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan would always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile during a meeting with Ambassador of Portugal to Pakistan Paulo Neves Pocinho here on Wednesday she said Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was emerging as one of the attractive destinations for tourists.
Dr Firdous said Pakistan was a beautiful and picturesque country with its cultural diversity and ancient civilisation. There were a lot of opportunities for investment in various sectors and great potential for tourism, as visa policy had been revamped with improved security situation in the country, she added.
Dr Firdous said Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Portugal, both in the bilateral context as well as within the framework of European Union. She stressed the need for strengthening cooperation with Portugal in the fields of media, information and culture. She stated that collaboration in media sector was key to forge people-to-people contacts. She remarked that Pakistan and Portugal might increase exchange of journalists to learn from each other’s experiences and best practices.
The special assistant also apprised the ambassador about the grave human right violations in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including the continuous lockdown, communication blockade and curfew for more than 70 days.
While appreciating the stance of EU Parliament in support of Kashmiris, she urged the international community to listen to the voice of innocent Kashmiris, who were under siege and being deprived of their basic fundamental human rights.
The ambassador said Portugal was one of the first countries which recognised Pakistan soon after its independence and would like to extend cooperation to it in areas of mutual benefit.