LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry says “altercations” will continue in politics as the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government is committed to holding the corrupts accountable.

“The PTI government will not compromise on accountability because an NRO (concessions) for corrupt politicians betrays its voters,” he said at a book launch on Saturday.

“No corrupt – either in the opposition or in the ruling PTI – will be spared,” he said.

Mr Chaudhry said the PML-N and the PPP had adopted a “muk muka” policy and continued looting the national wealth through the same modus operandi – fake companies. Now, he said, the PTI government brought all the corrupt in the dock.

Calling PML-N and PPP leaders a “mediocre political elite”, the minister said both parties’ leaders destroyed the PIA, Pakistan Steel Mills, PTV and Radio by appointing their cronies, who worked as their paid workers.

He said PML-N and PPP leaders also made the heads of state institutions like the State Bank of Pakistan, the SECP and commercial banks their business partners and laundered money.

When the prime minister was told that the country might default, if $2.5 billion not paid, he said, Mr Khan had no option than to approach friendly countries for funds to correct the balance of payments.

After stabilizing the economy with the help of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China, he said, the prime minister laid a foundation of industrialisation and offered subsidies to the local industry to manufacture products and compete with other countries in the region in exports.

He said the Afghan issue affected Pakistan for a longer period and divided the society. He said the conflict also affected all institutions, including the media.

The information minister said the PTI government was introducing different reforms in the media industry and to begin with it wanted to become a client of media houses directly instead of advertisement agencies. “Only then the government will be able to ask media houses owners to ensure releasing working journalists’ salaries with the advertisement payments,” he said.

Mr Chaudhry said he formed the Wage Board Committee to discuss and finalise the next wage board.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2019