Daily Times

ISLAMABAD – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Thursday said that the Opposition’s no-trust move against the Senate Chairman was a political adventure, which would be foiled by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies.

Talking to media persons here after attending a seminar on the occasion of the death anniversary of Sir Aga Khan III, she said that the country could not afford such adventures due to its political and economic situation.

The Opposition, she said, had opted for the same tactics to create hurdles in the passage of national budget from the Parliament, but failed due to the prudent policies of the government. They would meet the same fate and not succeed in removing the Senate Chairman.

Dr Firdous said that the incumbent Chairman had neither violated the Constitution nor deviated from the Senate’s code of conduct.

He was only being targeted for not following the dictations of so-called ‘political pundits’.

The Senate is the Upper House of Parliament was the symbol of Federation but the Opposition did not desire it function smoothly and independently, she added.

She said that the independent members of the Senate would support the institutional supremacy and vote for strengthening them.

The independent members were playing a pivotal role in national progress, she added. Dr Firdous said that the PTI and its allied parties would stand by the institutions instead of personalities as they believed in institutional supremacy.

She said that it was Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had challenged the status quo in the country and had been working on institutional reforms from the very first day after assuming power.

The State institutions, she said, were considered supreme in civilised democracies, but the former rulers had made every attempt to weaken them in order to make them subservient to their will.  “The 12th man of politics, who is not a part of the National Assembly, wants to run the Parliament on his whims that is highly condemnable,” she stated.

She said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its Press release, had held PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz governments responsible for the recent economic crisis of the country.

The IMF, she said, had repeatedly pointed out the bad governance and wrong economic policies of the previous rulers and endorsed the narrative of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

She said that the confirmation of Prime Minister’s visit to the US had dampened the spirits of Opposition, which was expecting the otherwise. The visit would certainly enhance the respect of Green Passport, she added.

She said that Imran Khan was the first Pakistani leader who had won applause from the global community and was given special protocol in Gulf and other world regions.

To a question, she said that consultations were underway regarding the Prime Minister’s visit to Russia.

Some elements had leaked pre-mature information in that regard to gain extra mileage, she added.

Firdous said that Maryam Nawaz was making all-out efforts to mislead the public by using unethical tactics.

The forensic test of the judge’s video should be conducted at the earliest as tampering a video was itself a crime, she added.

Earlier in her address, Firdous paid tributes to Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III, who was a visionary leader.

She cited that it was Aga Khan who had arranged finances to procure Gwadar for Pakistan, which was now going to become a central port for regional connectivity and an economic hub in the wake of China- Pakistan Economic Corridor.

She emphasised on protecting national heritage and legacy of heroes, who had played central roles in the creation of Pakistan. The youth should learn from the struggle of national heroes, she added.

Dr Firdous said that the real leaders did not take short term decisions to garner political benefits and keep their vote bank intact.

They always focused on long term policies, securing future of the coming generations and kept the national interest supreme, she added.