LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has suggested the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the judiciary look into the matter of granting bail to PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz.

Stressing that rule of law must prevail, Dr Awan said “the NAB should set its priorities regarding the bail granted to a prisoner, who is now busy [insulting] law and hurling threats at the state”.

Speaking at ‘Meet The Press’ programme at the press club here on Friday, she said the government was neither proceeding to get a prisoner’s bail cancelled nor would facilitate anyone to get bail. She said the court had granted bail to Maryam to look after her ailing father, but PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif left for London for treatment and went everywhere but to a hospital.

Dr Awan also disclosed a new ‘policy’ under which the government would stop reacting to the opposition’s statements. “We will speak about the Punjab government’s performance,” she said, adding that the government was working to bring the province out of the “Rs1.2 trillion debt” that the previous PML-N government had received.

She claimed that the PML-N would get a surprise from its own ranks before the Lahore rally. “The number of affectees in the ranks of the PML-N and PPP are fast increasing and looking for some new political shelter,” she claimed.

Dr Awan suggested the opposition parties choose a constitutional and legal way to topple the government by submitting a no-confidence motion in the National and provincial assemblies and not hold public meetings in the wake of the second wave of coronavirus.

She also said that she had held a detailed meeting with the chief minister prior to her presser and both agreed to empower the media and media workers. She said she had instructed the Directorate General of Public Relations to pay all pending dues of the media houses, adding that media workers would be supported professionally and provided houses as per the vision of the prime minister.

The special assistant said the chief minister had announced that journalist colonies would be established at all divisional headquarters and the divisional commissioners had already been instructed to identify state land for the purpose. She also said that the CM would soon inaugurate the Lahore Press Club Journalist Housing Colony’s Block F and all missing facilities be provided in time.

Press club President Arshad Ansari also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2020