Accountability process to be intensified: Fawad Ch

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said that no compromise would be made on action against corruption and the accountability process would be intensified further.

Speaking at different functions and talking to the media on Sunday here, he said that whenever corruption was brought under discussion in the parliament, the opposition gets nervous and attempts to disturb environment in the parliament. However, he added, it would be an injustice to the voters if the PTI government did not take up the issue. Without holding the powerful accountable, justice could not be ensured in the country, he said. He said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should be supported in its endeavours against the corrupt elements.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan's expected video message about corruption had been postponed. The prime minister was expected to address the nation on Sunday night regarding important steps taken against corruption by the government.

Addressing a seminar here, Fawad Chaudhry called on the country’s religious leadership to play its role to “prevent the war between ideologies from falling into the hands of those who are doing no service to our religion”.

Chaudhry said the protests that erupted countrywide following a Supreme Court verdict acquitting Aasia Bibi – a Christian woman who had been on death row for eight years in a blasphemy case – reflected a societal crisis. “It was not a crisis of the government, or the state, but a societal crisis. Pakistan is not facing a political crisis, it is facing an ideological crisis,” said the information minister.

He pointed out that an ideological war is not won through weapons but arguments and logic. “Some people are creating a political crisis under the garb of religion. Those seeking anarchy are devoid of the power of argument,” he eluded to the rioters, who damaged properties and harassed citizens during the three-day-long demonstrations, spearheaded by the religious parties, mainly the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.

“Those [who rioted], these people come up with a new issue every week and engage in political point-scoring,” the minister said. He called on the religious leadership to become part of the government’s efforts to spread the message of love of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

“The current government will stand shoulder to shoulder with the religious leadership of the country, and prevent this ideological fight from falling into the hands of those who are not doing any service to our religion.”

Chaudhry said that for the first time, the month of Rabiul Awwal was being observed on the state level. Renowned scholars from across the world have been invited to attend the conferences on the occasion, he added.

To more questions, he rejected rumours regarding uncertainty in country. The federal minister made it clear that nothing unusual was going to happen to the government. “Nobody should remain in confusion that a crisis had erupted within the ranks of the ruling party. “[Prime Minister] Imran Khan is our supreme leader and directives issued by him are decisive,” clarified the minister. He termed emergence of trivial conflicts within ranks of the party a normal phenomenon.

Taking a jibe at Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the minister taunted that the incumbent government was functioning well “without diesel”. Replying to a question, the minister said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who remained head of the Kashmir committee for many years, had never protested about Indian atrocities against the people of held Kashmir. "All is well for the Maulana if he is in the government; and everything is bad for him if he is not part of the government," he added. He said, “The agenda of opposition is personal.”

To a question about PPP leader Khursheed Shah, he said even his party did not know that with whom he was siding with. About financial crisis, Fawad said that biggest challenge for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government was balance of payment and it had been resolved. “84pc of the total amount of loans had been acquired by the [previous] governments of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party,” stated Fawad Ch.

The minister said recovery of looted wealth from Sharifs, Zardari might end financial crisis in the country. He said that if the DG National Accountablity Bureau (NAB) possessed a fake degree, why the past government didn’t take action against him. He said that the issue related to the degree of the DG NAB had come to surface only after the arrest of Shahbaz Sharif.

To another question, he said the PTI had decided not to make Shahbaz Sharif the chairman of Public Accounts Committee as one couldn’t expect him to open cases against his own brother Nawaz Sharif as the PAC head. He also questioned as to how Shahbaz could chair the PAC meeting while remaining in jail and stated the honourable members of the elected assembly couldn’t be sent to prison to attend the PAC meetings, chaired by the opposition leader. He also stated that in principle, the PAC headship should belong to the PTI government, adding if someone had to pick from the opposition, Bilawal could become the PAC chairman.

He also said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had the national agenda whereas the opposition only focused on its personal and individual motives, which were evident from the fact that a person became PM and he made his own brother the chief minister of Punjab. When asked about the recent leaked video showing rifts within the ruling coalition in Punjab, Fawad said that minor differences could occur but it wasn’t something very unusual.

The information minister, while addressing another ceremony, called upon the country’s religious leadership to play its role to prevent the clash between ideologies. He said that without protecting the rights of minorities, the real foundation of Madina-like state could not be established.

He said grand events would be held across the country in connection with the Jashn-e-Eid Miladun Nabi (SAW) and the Prime Minister would himself inaugurate the conference of 12 Rabiul Awwal. He said that renowned religious scholars including Imam-e-Ka’aba, Mufti-e-Azam Jamiatul Azhar and others would attend the event. He urged the religious leadership to become part of the government’s efforts to spread the message of love of Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

Criticising the leadership of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, he called for discouraging the elements spreading hatred in the name of religion. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain claimed that the credibility of media was fast diminishing and it must adopt self-imposed ethics to maintain the same.

He said the PTI government did not support censorship of media as soon after assuming power, its government had even freed the state media. It was a state loss if the media lost its credibility due to occasional irresponsible reporting, he added.

The minister said the media must understand the sensitivity of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and should not give a twist to the statement of a minister about the project. About the professional bankruptcy, he said the state media, including Pakistan Television (PTV), Radio Pakistan and Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), were in a state of disarray, and a lot of efforts and resources were required to revive them.

The minister said the Pakistan Army was the only institution, which had kept its departments intact but all the civilian institutions were in a shambles. About discrimination in distribution of development funds, besides advertisements to the media by the previous government, he said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz spent Rs70,000 per capita in Lahore against Rs2,400 per capita in Rajanpur.

The minister said a Media Regulatory Authority (MRA) was being set up for the betterment of media industry, revival of state media and welfare of common media-workers. It was time to replace Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, Press Council and Pakistan Telecom Authority with one Media Regulatory Authority, which would also monitor the social media besides being a check on piracy.

With the advent of digital media, traditional media was fast becoming redundant, he added. Fawad said the government was against its monopoly on the state advertisements. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) had been asked to propose a formula under which the government's control could be abolished in the distribution of state advertisements- a tool, employed in the past, to control media, and commit corruption, he added. He said the media houses must generate their own funds otherwise they would never be free from state's control.