Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Wednesday said the country continues to play a central role for unity among Muslim Ummah.
Rubbishing the rumours circulating in a section of media regarding cancellation of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Malaysia for Kuala Lumpur Summit, she told media that Malaysia has already organised four such conferences in the past where Pakistan was not invited. She said the prime minister and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi informed the Core Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf about the reasons for the cancellation of Malaysia visit. The prime minister also informed the meeting about Pakistan’s strategic interest in the region, particularly with regard to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), she added.
The OIC, Dr Firdous said, is a platform which connects some 57 Muslim countries. “Ummah’s unity is need of the hour,” she said, adding Pakistan wants to be part of solution not that of a problem.
Firdous said it was the prime minister’s vision to work with the leadership of all the Islamic countries in unison for the betterment of Muslims across the globe, besides promoting harmony among them. “Pakistan is not a party to any regional dispute. It has a neutral role in the region as it is equally acceptable to every Muslim country,” she said. “The Ummah is like a family and any rift among some family members is resolved by the others. Pakistan will continue to play a pivotal role in uniting the brothers and work as a front-runner when it comes to their common and mutual interests,” she said.
“Our relations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad are beyond any interest,” she said, adding that Pakistan’s futuristic and visionary roadmap for relations with brotherly countries like Turkey and Malaysia is intact. The recent meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Turkish President Erdogan on the sidelines of Global Refugee Forum in Geneva will produce positive results in future, she added.
The special assistant said the appointment of new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been facing a persistent delay as the government and opposition parties could not develop consensus over the issue. She said the prime minister has assigned the government’s parliamentary committee to resolve the issue with the help of National Assembly speaker at the earliest.
She said the CEC, as per the present criteria, is appointed by two major political parties in the parliament which negates the spirit of democracy. The prime minister has directed the parliamentary committee to raise the issue in the parliament for new legislation so that merit, competency and qualification should be upheld for such appointments.
Dr Firdous said the government’s legal team briefed the committee about the legal aspects of the Special Court’s verdict of giving capital penalty to former president Pervez Musharraf in the high treason case. The government will decide its future course of action after issuance of the detailed judgment, she added.
To a query, she said the decision regarding the removal of the name of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz from the exit control list will be taken on the recommendations of the federal cabinet’s sub- committee. “Every citizen will be treated on an equal basis as no one is above the law,” she stressed.
The special assistant said the PTI’s core committee condemned the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 passed by the Indian parliament, as it is aimed at targeting the Muslims living across India. She said the committee also appreciated the prime minister for exposing the undemocratic face of India before the world at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva. Dr Firdous said the core committee decided to make ‘Insaf Lawyers Wing’ functional. She said the PTI chief organizer apprised the committee about re-organization of the party at the local level. The Punjab chief minister apprised the members about the actions taken with regard to the PIC incident.
