Minster-for-Information-and-Broadcasting-Chaudhry-Fawad-HussainMinister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain Friday said the federal government is committed to ensure free, fair and transparent elections through electoral reforms and that the National Assembly speaker is in contact with the opposition to evolve consensus in this regard.
“If opposition disagrees with the government’s proposed electoral reforms then it should present their own electoral reforms and the government would consider those,” Fawad told media after a meeting of the PTI’s Core Committee. “PTI is the only federating party committed to take measures for the welfare of the country,” he said. “A mechanism has already been finalized regarding the use of electronic voting machine (EVM) and the government just wants to develop consensus on it,” he added.
Fawad said that matters related to local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also discussed during the meeting.
In response to a question, he said how can Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari speak about the country’s politics. “He even does not know about the streets of his native town Larkana,” he remarked.
Responding to another question about Election Commission of Pakistan, he said Adviser to Prime Minister for Parliamentary Affaris Dr Babar Awan had a meeting with the ECP and both agreed to work together.
Fawad said the government is determined to control inflation in the country and striving hard to bring it down by taking inclusive measures. He said the meeting took party members into confidence over the steps being taken by the government to control the inflation. He said inflation had become a global phenomenon due to Covid-19 pandemic, which has badly affected world’s major economies including the United States of America, United Kingdom and the European Union, whereas the other countries were facing severe economic pressure due to corona virus pandemic.
The minister said Pakistan countered these challenges effectively and comparatively enjoying better economic condition. The investment sector, Fawad said, had attracted Rs 600 billion in agriculture sector with an additional amount of Rs 1100 billion, while the income of masons, plumbers and shopkeepers has increased manifold. “The sale of automobiles had registered significant increase. Urea fertilizer was available at subsided to farmers. The government was considering to provide relief to the people who were bearing the brunt of inflation,” he added.
Fawad said the meeting decided to increase funding under different initiatives including health, Ehsaas and Kamyab Pakistan Programmes to facilitate the people. Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said, is the only leader having vote bank in all federating units. The coalition parties have also expressed their confidence over the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
