ISLAMABAD:
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a one-on-one meeting on Saturday, persuaded Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan to rise above her differences with other government officials and focus on highlighting the government’s achievements.
On December 25, a teary-eyed Awan tendered her resignation at a meeting of the federal cabinet in Karachi. But Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani refused to accept her resignation and assured that her grievances would be addressed.
In November, the information minister had complained on the floor of the National Assembly that some senior officials of her ministry did not listen to her.
She had specifically mentioned the name of PTV’s managing director who, according to her, did not comply with her orders. At the time, the prime minister had assured her that the managing director would be answerable to her.
After persuading Awan to withdraw her resignation, Gilani met with Mirza, who is considered to have close links in the presidential camp, for an amicable solution.
In addition, the information minister was censured by her colleagues in the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for not defending the government and President Asif Ali Zardari during his recent medical trip to Dubai. Furthermore, other media reports also suggested that Awan offered her resignation due to growing criticism within the ruling party over her perceived failure to defend the government in the Memogate scandal. She was also criticised by PPP members for not satisfactorily projecting the achievements of the government.
In her meeting with the president, Awan has been asked to highlight the achievements of the government in various sectors during the past four years, both in print and electronic media.
According to a statement issued by the presidency, the achievements that the information minister is to highlight include the Benazir Income Support Programme, targeting poverty and earning recognition at the international level, workers empowerment by giving them 12% shares in the state-run entities, 18th constitutional Amendment, NFC awards, undertaking various initiatives to overcome power and energy crisis, challenging militancy head-on, effectively tackling the internally displaced persons issue and putting the economy back in the right direction.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2012.
COMMENTS (9)
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@Amar: I agree with you 1000%. You are absolutely and precisely right and you have to be the economic affairs' adviser to PM and president because you speak truth and our leaders need a truthful adviser.
How can this lady with glasses find and highlight the acheivements ( Corruption , Loadsheding , Gasshortage , petrol in gold price , unemployment and especially ROTTI , KAPRA , MAKAAN which pppp is providing efficently in its all 5 tenures ) in this darkness of loadsheding .
Zinda hai Bhutto zinda hai , jeye bhutto jeye pppp and Pakistan Khappey .
An impossible task
'No' Gas 'No' Electricity Railway 'Failed' PIA 'Failed' Inflation 'High' Foreign and Local Debt 'High' Corruption 'High' Government Spending 'High'
These are Govt achievements throughout its tenure. Mrs. Awan, Please copy paste these
Feel bad for her. Its really tough giving a positive spin to this government.
This is free advice to Firdous Aashiq Awan that when she will highlight government's achievements before the nation to get vote and re-elect in the next general election then she has to highlight the demerits and weaknesses of the government truthfully,sincerely and honestly so that the nation could see the second dark side of the picture not only the front bright side of the picture.
The first she should do is to apologize to that chinese delagation who were forced to wait for more than 1-1/2 hours a few months back.