Fawad surprised at letter of ex-bureaucrats to PM

ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry congratulated the farmers and government of Punjab on the highest production of 20 million metric tons of wheat.

The agricultural economy had grown by Rs1,100 billion and this historic development was made possible despite the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, he said in a statement Wednesday.

“This development gives an idea of the potential of Pakistan’s agricultural sector,” he remarked. The information minister said the PTI government would always stand by overseas Pakistanis, especially the labour class.

In a tweet Wednesday, Fawad said he was surprised at the letter written by some “former Baboos” to the prime minister. He said the attitudes needed to be changed. The treatment given to ordinary people by our bureaucracy was absolutely not enviable, he said, adding, this was a common complaint and Pakistani embassies were not exempt from it.

The minister acknowledged that embassies, like any other department, had very good officers but stories could be written about how Pakistanis were treated in the past. He said the credit goes to Prime Minister Imran Khan, who felt the pain of ordinary workers and now the Pakistani embassies were accountable to the workers and ordinary citizens.

Fawad urged the people to cooperate with the government and follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to stay safe from coronavirus pandemic. In a video message Wednesday, he warned that if people would not comply with the SOPs, Pakistan could also face a situation similar to neighbouring India.

He, therefore, asked the people to adopt “stay home and stay safe” policy during the Eidul Fitr holidays. He said instead of visitingrelatives on the occasion of Eid, they should use the means of internet and phone for communication with them as this was important for the safety of everyone.

The government had also imposed ban on intra-city transport to limit the mobility during Eid holidays, he added. Meanwhile, the information minister said state TV would begin digital transmission next month.

In a tweet Wednesday, he said now the state TV was also available on YouTube. Fawad said revamping of PTV and Radio Pakistan was under way and the people would see changes in next few months.