Govt believes in freedom of expression: Farrukh

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Tuesday said the incumbent government believed in freedom of expression and had never imposed any curbs on media during its ongoing tenure.

Talking to a private news channel, he said the government was continuously working to bring improvement in journalists' lives. The minister said the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Bill 2021 had tabled in the Parliament to ensure safety, security and freedom of expression of journalists and media professionals.

He said development of journalists and media professionals was foremost priority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, adding it was intended to streamline the media system to ensure healthy journalism in the country. Farrukh Habib said the government was committed to take on board the opposition parties on national issues including electoral reforms to make it transparent. The performance of PTI government was much better than the previous governments, he added.

Replying to a question, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched numerous development and infrastructure projects including an expo center, agriculture industrial parks and three factories in Balochistan. The government was removing backwardness of the province and people through its initiatives and projects, he added.