Pervaiz Elahi complains…: PTI formed new body when talks started making headway

Ag agencies

LAHORE: Central leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi complained on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government formed a new committee when negotiations with the old committee started making progress.

He was talking to newly-elected office-bearers of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE), under leadership of President Arif Nizami, who called on him at the Assembly Chambers here.

Raising questions on the government move, he wondered why the previous committee was changed. He said the commitment made with the allies regarding financial matters had not been fulfilled yet. Defence Minister Khattak will be the chairperson of all the new committees, a notification from the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

The committee tasked to liaise with MQM and GDA includes Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Haleem Adil Sheikh as its members.

The committee to liaise with PML-Q includes Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, Sardar Usman Buzdar and Shafqat Mahmood.

Ch Pervaiz Elahi asked that with whom they could move ahead. “We are moving ahead with good intentions. We want that the government should continue and complete its tenure; we realise that if the government suffers, we will also suffer,” Ch Pervaiz Elahi added.

The PML-Q leader called upon the major coalition partner to fulfil promises made with the allies and not consider them as a ‘sautan’ [second wife]. "The government should take into confidence its allies, and stand firm on the fact that we are together; our problems and losses are the same," he added.

Ch Pervaiz Elahi said to establish law and order in the country and provide cheap and quick justice to people was mission of the coalition government, and media was guarantor of the development and progress of the country, , media should direct the government in the right direction. “I assure you that we would be standing shoulder to shoulder with the journalists for freedom of press and welfare and well-being of journalists.

“In the war against terrorism also, newspapers did responsible journalism.” Paying tribute to the efforts of the CPNE, Ch Pervaiz Elahi said that as a result of journalists’ struggle, the media in Pakistan was free today. The CPNE was the only organisation of the newspaper editors in which undoubtedly prominent and senior journalists of the country were included who rendered the best services in every tenure through their professional journalism, journalists of Pakistan are brave and patriots who have crushed enemy's every voice raised and given the enemy befitting response. On this occasion, CPNE President Arif Nizami also spoke.