“Imran Khan to get majority votes, be PM for another tenure”, predicts Fawad Chaudhry

While talking in a foreign channel’s programme, the Information Minister said that even in the next general elections, Imran Khan would get the majority votes and be the prime minister for another tenure, he assumed this Responding to a question.

Mr Fawad also cautioned the host not to undermine Pakistan’s elected government as Prime Minister Imran Khan received millions of votes in the last general elections.

“Imran Khan is the prime minister of a nuclear state … he and the cabinet takes collective decisions.”

The government had due respect for the opinion of institutions but the decisions rested with the prime minister, he clarified.

Sharing the accomplishments of the government, Fawad said at present the country’s growth rate was 3.94 per cent, despite the COVID-19 crisis.

About Rs1,100 billion, he said, had shifted from the urban economy to the rural economy. “This year, Pakistan has got four bumper crops”

He said Pakistan’s response to COVID-19 had been one of the best in the world.

In response to another question, the minister said 5.5 million people had been vaccinated in the country.

Pakistan was among the top 34 countries in terms of vaccinating people. “The way we are going, (we will) achieve the targets of vaccination soon,” he added.

He further reiterated that Pakistan was a great success story as far as dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was concerned.

To a question, Fawad said the media in Pakistan was enjoying immense freedom. Freedom of expression was a fundamental and democratic right guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan.

He said, “Pakistan is one of the freest states as far as media is concerned.”

There were about 43 international channels, including BBC; 112 local private channels; 258 FM channels; and 1,569 print publications, and in the presence of such kind of huge mass media, how could the state be accused of intimidating the media, he questioned.

As regards stopping a local channel from airing a BBC programme, Fawad said the BBC was the most-watched international channel in Pakistan and the government had never obstructed its transmission.

The BBC Urdu, he added, would be allowed to telecast its programmes subject to following the local laws.

To another question, he said Pakistan had been fighting the scourge of terrorism as a front line state. Several people lost their lives in the war on terror.

“This is not something limited to journalists, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was also martyred in a terrorist attack.” About 70,000 people had been killed in the war against terrorism, the minister added.

The minister rejected the impression that laws had been passed in Pakistan to curb social media freedom.

“Hate speech is a universally recognized fact that has to be curbed, all the states and organizations are duty-bound not to allow hate speeches,” he added.

He said he had huge respect for Google, Facebook, and other technology companies. “I want them to come to Pakistan to open their offices, we want to do business with them, we acknowledge their contribution to the world”.

To another question, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said, as Information Minister of the 5th largest country in the world, he had full authority to make decisions about the affairs.