Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan becomes Punjab Info Minister again

LAHORE: Provincial Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan was notified as new Minister for Information Punjab on Monday.

Fayyaz has replaced Mian Aslam Iqbal, who is already holding the portfolio of Trade, Commerce and Industry.

Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, who was elected from PP-17 Rawalpindi, took oath as Punjab Information Minister in August 2018 but his objectionable remarks against Hindu community cost him his office in March this year.

After him, Syed Sumsam Bokhari took over as Punjab Information Minister who was also replaced by Mian Aslam Iqbal. Mian Aslam Iqbal held this office for a few months after which once again Fayyaz Chohan has been given the charge of the Ministry. In this way, since August 2018, it has been the fourth change in Punjab Information Ministry which clearly indicates that Prime Minister Imran Khan isn’t pleased with the performance of his media team to counter propaganda of Opposition on social and mainstream media.

Sources stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed displeasure on multiple occasions over the way his ministers in Punjab have failed to counter the propaganda of Opposition which according to him has been misleading the nation. Fayyaz Chohan, however, has a repute of countering the Opposition propaganda in a quite aggressive manner and on different occasions, his remarks have sparked controversy.

In the year 2018, when Chohan took oath as Punjab Information and Culture Minister, his remarks about a showbiz figure brought embarrassment to the party and Chohan had to tender apology over it. Moreover, his name was also attributed to another controversy when he was accused of using his influence to get extra marks for his son. Nevertheless, Imran Khan has shown confidence in his abilities and assigned him once again the post from where he was removed.

A glance on the political career of Fayyaz-ul-Hassan tells that he has been active in politics since when he was a student. He remained associated to Jamaat-e-Islami and was elected MPA for the first time in the year 2002 on the ticket of Muttehida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). He turned his coat towards PML-Q a few months later and remained associated with Q-League for next many years. He also contested on the PML-Q ticket but lost with a huge margin at the hands of PML-N’s Raja Hanif.

Like many other Q-leaguers, he also joined Imran Khan’s bandwagon after 2011 but couldn’t get ticket in the 2013 general elections but in 2018, he was pitched as the PTI candidate and won the election. He was made Punjab Information and Culture Minister in August 2018.