ISLAMABAD, May 29: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has expressed concern over what she said continued assault on the freedom of information in Pakistan. Commenting on reports that the military regime is continuing with its ban on state-sponsored advertising to two newspapers, Ms Bhutto said the policy to crush freedom of the press was contrary to the public statements of building an enlightened society.

She said intolerance and immoderation fuelled extremism. The action against the newspapers could only damage the standing of the country in the international community while usurping the fundamental rights of the people.

Ms Bhutto welcomed a statement by Committee to Protect Journalists regarding the matter. She said it was disappointing to see how the rulers bent backwards when foreign organizations took up issues but ignored domestic critics when they said the same thing.

She said it would be much wiser for the regime to listen to the voice of the people, so that matters could be resolved internally instead of Islamabad’s dirty linen being washed internationally.

She said the ban on ads to the newspapers was all the more sinister coming as it does on the eve of the budget session. The budget is expected to be yet another anti-people measure in a country that has seen the worst economic deterioration. Today twenty per cent richest people are richer than they were in the seventies, whereas the twenty per cent poorest people are much poorer than they were then, she added.

The windfall of rescheduling of loans where Pakistan got cash in its hand was squandered. Instead of paying off capital debt to make the country self-reliant and self-respecting, the money was wasted on white elephant expenses like building a second general headquarters costing three billion dollars as well as an army of ministers and cars for party leaders.

Ms Bhutto said it was shocking that more debt had been incurred when there were no repayments to be made due to reschedule. She said had the PPP been in power it would have taken advantage of the economic generosity of the international community to build Pakistan into a prosperous and modern nation.