People rejected opposition's baseless false propaganda: SAPM Firdous Ashiq Awan

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said that the people had rejected the baseless and false propaganda of the opposition and that its criticism against Prime Minister Imran Khan was only due to animosity and hostility towards him.

Speaking at a press conference to brief about the decisions of the federal cabinet, she said Pakistan needed stability and a suitable environment so that the nation, drowned in debt, could get investment from abroad.

"We want to end poverty and unemployment from the country," she said, adding that the opposition had the right to protest as long as it does not give rise to anarchy that hampers the development process.

She said that people had to the right to decide about the future of a government after the completion of its tenure based on its performance.

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan was making all efforts to restore the positive image of the nation to dispel the negative propaganda against the country. She said people had disassociated themselves from the protest of the opposition on July 25 because it did not have anything to do with their problems.

The federal cabinet decided in its meeting that the government would not stop rallies and public meetings of the opposition, she said.

Dr Firdous claimed that only a few hundred people came out in Lahore on the call of the opposition, which showed that their show had 'flopped' and that the people had rejected their criticism against the prime minister.

The special assistant further claimed that groups of people gathered in different cities and tried to create chaos in the guise of protest, adding that the "hue and cry" of the opposition was "baseless and unfounded".

Briefing about the developments in the meeting, she said the cabinet congratulated Prime Minister Imran Khan on his successful visit to the United States.

Chairman Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) told the cabinet about the activities of the "organised criminal mafia" and it’s unfortunate and shameless affairs in the national airlines for many years,” she said.

The opposition had used the airlines as a rickshaw during the years 2008-2018 during their tenures, she claimed, further alleging that the national carrier was turned into personal carrier which did personal duties of former rulers.

She said 21 times, flights of PIA were re-routed to Sukkur and the national exchequer was deprived of a huge amount of money. The nation paid Rs 270 million for expenses of former President Mamnoon Hussain, she said.

Airplanes were used indiscriminately from 2008 to 2018 and cronies were inducted and per plane ratio of crew reached 500, instead of the standard 200, she further added.

Speaking further on the affairs of the national carrier, Dr Firdous said hundreds of people were given jobs in PIA on political basis and union of PIA had 33 offices in its possession.

Rs 1.06 billion were spent on fifty special flights and Rs 954 million losses were suffered by the national airline due to this practice, she said, adding that Rs 280 million was paid while a PIA plane was parked at an airport in London as a former prime minister was getting medical treatment in the hospital.

The PM's special assistant also alleged that former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former president Mamnoon Hussain also misused public money.

She said that, on the recommendation of the cabinet, it was decided that the money spent by former rulers on travel, Hajj, and Umrah expenses in violation of rules from the year 2008 to 2018 would be recovered from them.

Dr Firdous said, due to efforts of the government, the earning of PIA had increased by 40 percent and through an austerity drive the expenditures were cut by 20 percent.

"Now PIA has started a journey towards profitability and capacity building of its human resource was being done," she added.

Replying to a question, she said that the government believed in the role of the opposition and its right to protest.

She said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had no personal enmity against the opposition parties' leadership, and that he only wishes that the plundered national wealth should be recovered from them.

She said if the opposition faces the cases about corruption in courts and returns the laundered money, the government was ready to work with them.

To a question, she said that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has proposed media courts on the pattern of tax courts. She said that it would it will not be imposed without consensus among stakeholders.