Daily Times

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Thursday asked the opposition leaders to refrain from making political mileage using the health condition of Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking at a press conference, she said Maryam Nawaz had requested for a meeting with Nawaz Sharif which was duly fulfilled. She said that Maryam Nawaz was again sent to the jail as per jail manual as doctors declared that her reports of blood pressure, ECG and vital organs were normal.

She said the application about release of Nawaz Sharif on health grounds would be decided by the court. The government had implemented the court decisions in the past and would continue to do so, she added.

Dr Firdous said the first gesture of Prime Minister Imran Khan was that Nawaz Sharif should be provided best healthcare from the hospital of his choice and his family should be taken on board about medical treatment.

She expressed her best wishes for the early recovery of Nawaz Sharif. She said every Pakistani was equal before law and should be judged on the basis of his character and not power. Every patient in a hospital should be treated in a similar manner, she added.

In the past, individuals were more powerful than institutions but the Prime Minister from the day one was making efforts to empower institutions.

She said the government would act in accordance with law and would implement the court decisions. The government would facilitate the Sharif family and the court had to decide whether treatment of Nawaz Sharif was possible or not, in Pakistan, she added.

To a question, she repeated her stance that Loprin was used to make the blood thin and it affected the platelet count as it suppressed function of the bone marrow. She said the platelet count of Nawaz Sharif was around 20000. She said Prime Minister Imran Khan had a strong connection with poor, needy and deserving people and his measures and policies were meant to provide them relief.

Pakistan Baitul Mal was an important institution to protect the poor through measures of social sector, she noted. She said the government had merged Pakistan Baitul Mal into Ehsaas programme to broaden the scope of public-friendly initiatives.

She said challenge for Pakistan was that the gap between rich and poor was increasing, adding five percent of elite had monopoly on all aspects of life, policies were formulated for it and it had captured the power and financial resources while the 95 percent of the poor people were dispossessed and were not benefitting from the system.

The living conditions of the poor were tragic and the government inherited the present state of affairs, she remarked.

She said the Prime Minister was striving to get rid of the rotten system, eliminate corruption, corrupt practices and red-tapism and remove hurdles to provide relief to the people.

Dr Firdous said the government was committed to the restructuring and reforms and one of its main agenda was women empowerment. She said those times had gone when wars were fought on borders and the present age was of competition about economic indicators and hybrid information warfare.

The Special Assistant said the country could not make progress if women – half of its population – stayed at homes and was not utilized for economic activity.

The Prime Minister wanted women who had commitment and capabilities to become financially independent and invest in business and trade and play their role in making Pakistan economically strong.

Legal reforms were initiated to ensure that property inheritance rights of women were protected, she added.

Dr Firdous said the government was committed to protect jobs of journalists and ensure that they get their salaries. The Prime Minister would meet with senior journalists and listen to their viewpoint, she added.

She pointed out that he had already met with media owners and television anchors. Managing Director Aon Abbas Buppi briefed the media on relief measures for various sections of society.