ISLAMABAD: While explai­ning the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government’s stance on sudden transfer of the Islamabad police chief, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said, “The prime minister has executive powers, which he will use.”

Talking to newsmen outside the Parliament House, he made it clear that the PM was the chief executive of the country and the chief minister was chief executive of the province and they were answerable to the people. It was the responsibility of bureaucrats to follow government policies.

Only a day ago, the Supreme Court taking suo motu notice of the Islamabad IG’s transfer suspended the establishment division notification, dated Oct 27, 2018, after Establishment Secretary Ejaz Munir informed the chief justice that the transfer had been made on PM’s verbal order.

While claiming that the PTI government respected the SC and would accept and implement its verdict, the information minister also said: “It is not acceptable that chief secretaries and IGPs do not answer telephone calls of the ministers.”

Minister says PTI government respects Supreme Court

He said the state minister for interior had complained to Prime Minister Imran Khan that the IG was not cooperating with him regarding alleged sale of ice drug in the capital’s schools and colleges and that “he does not even attend phone calls”.

“During the PTI’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, no police officer was transferred following complaints,” he said, adding that a narrative was being built that if officers did not receive phone calls from ministers they would become heroes.

‘All legislators deserve respect’

This was not an issue of the government versus the opposition, the minister said, adding that in fact “all legislators represent the people and should be given due respect”, otherwise the concept of parliamentary overview would lose its meaning and the country would become an aristocracy ruled by a few bureaucrats.

In reply to a question about the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr Chaudhry said leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif was not fit for the job. “If Shahbaz Sharif was appointed chairman, will the PAC hold its meetings in jail?” he remarked.

He added that “the opposition has no clean people to forward their names” for the post of PAC chairman.

When asked about the visit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Parliament House, Mr Chaudhry said: “His [Nawaz Sharif’s] political career is over now and he can come to the Parliament House only to meet people.”

Commenting on the talks of a multiparty conference by the opposition, the minister said that opposition party leaders did not want cases to be opened against them. But, he added, PM Khan had categorically stated that there would be no NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) for anyone. “APC [all-parties conference] is being held to seek an NRO. They are calling it NRO, but we say ‘naa ro [do not cry]’,” he added.

Responding to a question about Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Banigala residence, the information minister claimed that its map was approved by Mohra Noor union council 30 years ago, because when the house had been constructed it did not fall within the jurisdiction of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). As the area had come under “CDA’s jurisdiction now, the house will be regularised as per directives of the apex court,” he added.

‘100,000 complaints received’

About the recently launched Prime Minister-Citizens Portal, the information minister said that the cell had received 100,000 complaints from across the country. He said 50pc (around 50,000) complaints were related to Punjab while 20pc were related to Sindh.

Mr Chaudhry said that the PTI came to power only 70 days back, but it showed great potential of putting the country on track to progress and prosperity within the short period.

He said there would be far-reaching effects of the corrective measures being taken by the government. He said PM Khan’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and his coming trip to China would help Pakistan overcome all its economic woes.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2018