Govt Primarliy Focusing On Improving Institutions: Fawad

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Dec, 2018 ) :Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Wednesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was strengthening all the state institutions, including Pakistan Television (PTV).

The Primary focus was on improving the performance of institutions by imparting modern training and launching new projects for their development, beside reducing their financial losses with good governance, he said while talking to a private news channel.

He said plans were afoot to launch a specific channel for children under the auspices of ptv soon.

He said the government was successfully managing the balance of payments crisis and reducing the current account deficit. Various steps had already been taken to boost exports and enhance trade volume with the neighbouring countries, which would help strengthen the economy, he added.

Fawad said the last government had done corruption on massive scale by appointing blue-eyed people as heads of all important institutions and projects.

As regards the ongoing accountability process, he said the government had nothing to do with the investigations being carried out by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which should itself take the nation into confidence on mega corruption cases.

However, the government was undertaking audit of all the mega projects, including New Islamabad International Airport, metro train and bus services, and others, which were launched by the previous government.

Replying to a question about fake accounts, he said the Supreme Court, which was looking into the matter, had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to probe all the cases of money laundering, including fake accounts with huge transactions.

To another question, the minister said all the cases of corruption against the Sharif family and the Pakistan Peoples Party leader were initiated during their own tenures in government. The political career of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was now over as he would spend rest of his life in jail or exile, he added.

To a query regarding the PAC chairman, he said how a person like Shehbaz Sharif, who was facing corruption and other cases, could head the Public Accounts Committee. The government could consider any one else from the opposition benches for the office, he added.

Responding to a question about opening of borders with India, Fawad said inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor was a goodwill gesture and peace initiative from Pakistan to facilitate the Sikh community who would visit their sacred place in large numbers. The step was widely appreciated across the world, he added.