Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Jul 10 (APP):Minister for Information, Broadcasting, Literary Heritage and National History Barrister Syed Ali Zafar Tuesday said it was responsibility of the caretaker government to hold transparent elections and no decision would have an effect on the polls to be held on July 25.

Talking to mediamen here, he said the government was not taking action against anybody and implementation of the court orders was its constitutional obligation.

There would be no delay in the elections, he said adding court orders were always implemented and afterward people filed appeals according to law. “We are impartial and without any politics we are performing the government affairs.”

Ali Zafar said decision in the reference against Nawaz Sharif came before the elections and the government had to implement the decision. “If anybody has a complaint against the decision he can go to the Supreme Court and High Court.”

He said Nawaz Sharif was appearing before the courts and was coming to Lahore to get himself arrested. The Punjab government would facilitate in that connection and it would have no affect on the elections. He assured that any political party facing security risks would be provided security.

Earlier, while addressing a workshop on Global Vision for Libraries, he said libraries were wisdom houses and no research could be completed without libraries. Libraries were important part of the education system and should be given funds, he added.

He said the government, civil servants and philanthropists should perform their role in promoting the culture of libraries.

The minister said the key challenge for libraries was the world of Internet but libraries had a competitive edge as these provided an ambience conducive to research work.

Steps should be taken to attract youth towards libraries, he said adding every city should have good library as it was a place of solace and emotional comfort and Internet could never replace a library. “In libraries ambience is such that one wanted to read and gain knowledge.” He said the staff in libraries should create a welcoming and intellectually stimulating ambience for the readers.

Published in Daily Times, July 11^th 2018.