Musharraf be given relief like Nawaz: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said Monday apparently former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was seriously ill, advocating giving relief to him, on the pattern of already provided to ex-PM Nawaz Sharif.

Talking to journalists here, the minister contended that the issue of Musharraf’s ailment was akin to that of Nawaz Sharif and already there was a precedent of giving relief to the former prime minister.

Fawad said Musharraf should appear before the court after getting well. Replying to questions, the minister clarified that the government had no intention to change the name of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

However, he added though the government had launched Ehsas programme for alleviation of poverty and it was being expanded, BISP would also continue. He explained under the Ehsas programme, loanswould be provided to the jobless youth and homes to the shelter-less people.

About the latest increase in rates of petroleum products, the minister claimed that the upward revision of oil prices was owing to their increases in the international market. He added petroleum products were being imported and their prices were linked to the world market.

The minister noted that during the regime of PML-N, prices of petroleum products were very low in the world market. About fake bank account cases against former president and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, he said that these were initiated during the previous tenure of PML-N and investigations were conducted excellently.

The minister expressed hope that PML-N would cooperate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) with regard to these cases against Zardari. Fawad added that he could foresee Zardari’s future in going to jail and coming out.

Meanwhile, the minister chaired a high-level meeting on digitalisation of the state-run TV from analogue and reviewed the process so far made in this connection. The meeting was attended by the federal secretaries from the Ministry of Information, the Planning and Development and the Finance Division.

The forum was given briefing on the work carried out so far on the digitalisation of the state-owned television. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the quality of screen would be improved massively upon digitalisation and acknowledged the fact that state-run TV is a national institution and the face of Pakistan. “In line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, this face of Pakistan is to be improved and made brighter,” he emphasized.