RAWALPINDI: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Saturday said the government was working to bring about change in the system but the status quo was a big hurdle in its way.

Talking to media after her visit to a shelter home at Raja Bazaar, Dr Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan was working to end the old system of politics and governance in the country and he would be successful because the nation stood behind him.

She had Iftar with the people at the shelter home and inspected the facilities being provided there.

Says PTI government came only nine months ago and is not responsible for high prices of essential commodities

The special assistant said the present government, which came to power nine months ago, was not responsible for the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities as wrong economic policies of the previous governments were responsible for this situation.

She said those who had been criticising the government for inflation ruled the country for the past 10 years and the people suffered a lot due to their inefficiency.

“I inform the critics of the government that Imran Khan’s agenda is welfare of 22 million people of the country and he will work for them,” she said.

Dr Awan said the government had given a package Rs2 billion to provide relief to the people during Ramazan despite having less money in the national kitty, while the outgoing government had offered less subsidy during the holy month.

She said the Ramazan subsidy worth Rs760 million had lapsed in 2018 due to inefficiency of the previous government.

In reply to a question, the special assistant said that public issues, not jokes, were discussed in parliamentary meetings of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. She said the cabinet discussed the ways to provide relief to the people.

She said the government was introducing new policies to provide relief to the masses and their results would be visible soon.

Dr Awan said the government had set up shelter homes across the country for the less privileged people who spent their life under the open sky. She said the people, especially labourers, were getting food and shelter without any problem.

The special assistant said that she had raised her voice in support of the media workers and asked the media houses to clear dues of their employees as soon as possible.

She said Khawaja Asif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) received a pat on his back from his leader Nawaz Sharif for using abusive language against opponents of the PML-N.

She said the PML-N had been misleading the people by telling lies. She expressed the hope that the PML-N’s ‘political-trash’ would come to an end soon.

In reply to a question, the special assistant condemned the terrorist attack at a hotel in Gwadar and said that the government would secure the people from terrorists.

She said the steps were being taken to improve conditions at hospitals and expressed the hope that the doctors, especially young ones, would help the government in this regard.

Dr Awan said she would request the Punjab health minister to take all stakeholders on board to improve conditions at government hospitals.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2019