Demand to remove governors before elections unlawful: Kaira

Minister for information and broadcasting urges media to exercise care, investigate in reporting on sensitive issues.

ISLAMABAD: In a candid talk with the media on Friday, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira termed the demands by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly as unconstitutional, Radio Pakistan reported.

Kaira termed the demands of Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan to remove Governors before the elections‚ as unlawful. The information minister said that governors have no link with executive authority and that under the 18th Amendment the role of caretaker setup has been limited. The governors, Kaira said, would only run day to day affairs and help in holding of free‚ fair and transparent elections.

The minister maintained that the caretaker set up will be established in consultation with the Opposition leader. He though questioned the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader that when the general elections are going to be held under a caretaker setup‚ why confusion being created.

Asked about how the caretaker set up would be formed in Balochistan‚ Kaira said that his personal opinion was that if an assembly is suspended then its authority is exercised by the National Assembly.
Irresponsible reporting

Kaira took the opportunity of Friday’s candid press briefing to put the media and reporting, especially with respect the government and prime minister under the spotlight.

Urging the mainstream media to exercise care in reporting on sensitive issues, Kaira pointed towards instances of misreporting on important issues recently, thereby creating wrong impressions and perceptions.

Pointing towards the case of appointing Tauqir Sadiq as chairman of oil and gas regulatory authority (OGRA), Kaira said that the media had presented the news in such a manner where it seemed like Raja Pervez Ashraf had approved Sadiq for the post, which was wrong.

The information minister explained that appointment of heads of different regulatory authorities is done as per prescribed procedure. He said that procedure was also adopted during appointment of OGRA chairman, where 17 names were proposed by a committee headed by the minister of petroleum and included the secretary of petroleum‚ joint secretary of petroleum‚ private sector representative Shaukat Hayat Durrani and additional secretary establishment.

To further shorten the list, then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was also looking after the Ministry of Petroleum at that time, asked Raja Pervez Ashraf to head the committee. This committee short-listed four names. One of the four short listed was Tauqir Sadiq‚ which was ultimately approved by Gilani. Kaira lamented that the angle presented in some reports gave the impression that Ashraf had appointed Sadiq was factually incorrect since he was not the appointing authority at the time.

The information minister said the prime minister‚ ministers and officers of the government take numerous decisions in good faith and there is always room for a mistake but they should not be blamed for that.

Kaira, though was not yet through with his grievances over misreporting.

He continued about reporting on death of National Accountability Bureau officer Kamran Faisal. The Minister said that a six member medical board had carried out post-mortem and samples have also been sent to laboratories in Punjab for chemical examination. Further, a judicial commission consisting of a former senior judge of the Supreme Court has been set up and a two member bench of the Supreme Court is also hearing the case. In this scenario, Kaira said it would be wrong to link his death with Rental Power Project’s case.

The minister said there was also irresponsible reporting in the Baldia Town Karachi factory tragedy. He said that when the prime minister's attention was directed towards this case at a function of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry‚ the premier directed Sindh’s chief secretary to look into the matter and that relevant law should apply. This, Kaira said, had been twisted to directions to drop the charges.

The minister pointed towards the sayings and practices of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), asking media men to follow those teachings where in it asks people not to speak about things without investigation. The media trials, Kaira, can spoil image of an innocent victim.

New Punjab province

On the subject of creating a new province in Punjab, Kaira said that a commission on new provinces in Punjab has been formed as a result of unanimous resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly and its report will come shortly.

The minister though pointed out that neither the leader of the Opposition nor the Punjab Government have given the names of their representatives for the commission as yet. However, the commission is working and the leader of the opposition can still had the option to join the commission and present his point of view.