LAHORE: Special Assistant Chief Minister Punjab for Information and Spokesperson Punjab Government Hassan Khawar has said that the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar is performing well. The Punjab Health Justice Card program launched with Rs. 330 billion is a glimpse of this unparalleled performance. “Unfortunately, instead of working for the people, the governments of the past have made a habit of flaunting, waving the turbans of political opponents and hereditary politics,” he said. Today, the government’s focus is on efficiency and good governance, respecting political opponents and empowering ministers and departments instead of families. He said that the politics of the opposition, especially PML-N, is in vain. The Punjab government spokesman also said that if the opposition had been united and serious against the government, it would not have given a date after four months for the long march. These views were expressed by Special Assistant Chief Minister Punjab for Information and Spokesperson Punjab Government Hassan Khawar while talking to media after attending a meeting of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Punjab Committee at a local hotel. DGPR Punjab Rubina Afzal and Director PID Lahore Shafqat Abbas were also present on the occasion. The Punjab government spokesman said that it was agreed to form two committees in the CPNE meeting. One committee will work on current affairs, fair distribution of advertisements, role of regional newspapers and other issues while the other committee will work on reforms to take the media to the digital age. “The media is the pressure valve of our society and the eyes and ears of the government,” he added. It is only through the media that it is possible to convey the sentiments of the people to the government and help in reforms through objective reporting. The Punjab government spokesman also said that we all need to think seriously about the long term solution of the country’s problems together. Earlier, in a meeting chaired by CPNE Punjab Committee Chairman Muhammad Haider Amin, issues facing CPNE member newspapers and constitutional issues of CPNE were discussed in detail. In the meeting, CPNE Vice President Irshad Ahmed Arif, representing all the members of the Punjab Committee, briefed the Punjab newspapers in detail about the issues facing them. On the occasion, CPNE President Kazim Khan expressed grave concern over the exclusion of newspapers from the media list and imposed new restrictions and demanded that no regular newspaper be removed from the media list. The CPNE should be fully consulted before making any decision. The meeting expressed grave concern over the slowness in payment of dues to newspapers and unfair distribution of advertisements by the Information Department of the Punjab Government and demanded that payments for display advertisements should also be introduced in the style of classified advertisements. The list of advertisements issued should be posted on the website of Punjab Information Department. The meeting was attended by CPNE President Kazim Khan, Senior Vice President Ayaz Khan, Deputy Secretary General Yousuf Nizami, CPNE Punjab Committee Chairman Muhammad Haider Amin, Vice President Irshad Ahmed Arif, Joint Secretary Tanveer Shaukat and senior members Jamil Athar Qazi, Syed Intezar Hussain Zanjani, Waqas Tariq Farooq, Muhammad Akmal Chauhan, Zia Tanoli, Owais Razi, Ahmad Shafiq, Zulfiqar Ahmad Rahat, Nasheed Rai, Aslam Mian, Sardar Abid Aleem, Zubair Mahmood, Tawfiqur Rehman Saifi, Usman Ghani, Imtiaz Rouhani including Muhammad Arshad Rohani and others.
