Home Latest News Coalition Government Does Not Believe in Restricting Free Speech: Aurangzeb

Coalition Government Does Not Believe in Restricting Free Speech: Aurangzeb

Information minister clarifies that P.M. Sharif is bearing all expenses of his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia

by Staff Report

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb. Photo courtesy PID

The incumbent coalition government is a strong proponent of freedom of expression and will not resort to the tactics of the ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government to suspend news channels, ban programs or shutter any newspapers, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday.

Speaking in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting meeting chaired by Senator Faisal Javed of the PTI, she said the coalition government did not believe in any restrictions on freedom of expression. Since coming into power, she continued, the government had already abolished the controversial plan to set up a Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority.

Acknowledging the need to take practical steps to eradicate fake news—a global concern—she said that consultations were being held with all stakeholders to develop consensus on how best to tackle this. Noting that some quarters were sharing “fake news” on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and the makeup of his entourage, she reiterated that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) president had not desire to misappropriate government funds and had even personally borne the expenses of all his foreign trips during his 10 years as chief minister of the Punjab.

Clarifying that the premier’s official visit to Saudi Arabia was also being paid out of pocket, she stressed that the ministers accompanying Sharif would also bear the cost of their travel personally.

On a leaked memo from the Foreign Office in which it had asked the national flag carrier to keep a plane on standby ahead of the trip, she said this was standard practice whenever a prime minister was set to visit a foreign country—including during the tenure of former prime minister Imran Khan.

The information minister also rubbished reports that “dozens” of people were accompanying Sharif on his trip, saying that the entourage consisted of just 13 members, which was “much less” than the delegations that accompanied other prime ministers.

According to a press release, Aurangzeb also briefed the committee on the “Digital Radio Migration” project, noting that modernization was indispensable for the effective functioning of institutions.

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