LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan acknowledges that the ever-rising dearness has pushed the masses against the wall but in the same breath passed the buck to the previous PML-N government for leaving the country on the verge of bankruptcy.

“There is one single issue of dearness that is yet to be addressed,” Mr Chohan said while explaining Punjab government departments’ performance during the past one-and-a-half years at a news conference here on Wednesday.

Mr Chohan claimed that former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had told an important personality that any government formed after general elections would not survive for more than a few months.

Stating that the PML-N government knew that it had ruined the country’s economy and would leave a challenge for the next government, he said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government led by prime minister Imran Khan saved the country from going bankrupt.

“Fruit of the policies of the PTI government will soon reach masses,” he said.

Parries question about promise to create south Punjab province

The information minister admitted that it was a failure on the part of his department that it could not fully publicise the “good works” of the Buzdar government till now.

Answering a question about Punjab government’s decision on allowing or disallowing extension in stay abroad of former premier Nawaz Sharif, Mr Chohan said the health and law departments were examining Mr Sharif’s request to extend stay on medical grounds.

Mr Chohan parried the question about PTI’s promise to create south Punjab province and jumped to explain that the provincial government had allocated huge budget [for south Punjab] and ring-fenced it in the budget document for the current financial year.

Answering a question about non-payment of salaries by different media houses, Mr Chohan said he would revive the policy, which he had prepared during his first tenure as information minister in the present government, and ensure that working journalists rights including payment of their salaries be protected.

He vowed that any media house not paying salaries to its workers for more than three months would face stoppage of advertisements.

The minister avoided any comment about social media activist Hareem Shah’s claims and blames stating that no one should discuss personal lives in media.

Earlier, the minister explained different departments’ initiatives either completed or in progress including the 117-kilometres Jalalpur Canal, eight new universities, nine new hospitals, Insaf Health Cards, recruitment of 25,000 doctors and paramedics, panahgahs, Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Faisalabad; 10 special economic zones, roads network and preparation for holding local government elections.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2020