Maryam Aurangzeb takes oath from the office-bearers of Hafizabad Press Club

Lahore : Politics of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif revolved around performance & values and not clinching of power and he made Pakistan a nuclear power, winched it out of the energy crisis and gifted it un-perishable projects like motorways and CPEC.

This was claimed by Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Ms Maryam Aurangzeb while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the office-bearers of Hafizabad Press Club Wednesday.

She said from now on politics would be done on the basis of performance and those, who could not serve the masses, had no place in politics.

The minister observed that the media had played a sterling role in ending dictatorship and revival of democracy and those journalists, who promoted the cause of democracy through their pen, deserved unqualified accolades. She urged the journalist community to highlight those issues which helped in refurbishing the identity of the country among the comity of nations.

Referring to the text of the oath, the minister suggested that it should also contain something which distinguished between truth and lies because when the journalists used the power of their pen to disseminate truthful news and created awareness among the masses, it strengthened Pakistan. She said that when journalism was based on falsehood and was used for political motives of somebody it weakened the country.

She said all the office-bearers would have to make the pledge that they would use their position as a trust.  She added that the sacrifices and role of the media in the war against terrorism was very commendable and the nation also paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of war on terror.

The minister said due to the measures taken in consonance with the vision of the former Prime Minister and the sacrifices of the armed forces, law enforcing agencies and police, peace had been restored in the country by overcoming terrorism to a great extent. She said those, who had left the country because of the scourge of terrorism, were now returning to the motherland.

Maryam said the PML-N government had put the country on the path of sustained development by fulfilling all the pledges that it had made with the people. She reiterated that during the last four years democracy had gained strength and in the future as well it would be the era of democracy because in 2018 elections it would emerge triumphant.

She pointed out that in 2013 the incidents of terrorism were on the higher side, however, positive dividends had started emerging from the efforts made during the last four years by the federal government under the stewardship of the former Prime Minister, the provincial governments and the hard work done by the armed forces and law enforcing agencies.

She said Saira Afzal Tarar had rightly been called the daughter of Hafizabad because the way she represented the people at all the forums was indeed exemplary. She had worked hard with utmost responsibility to extend the facility of health cards introduced by the former Prime Minister to the level of district, union and tehsil councils throughout the country, she added.

The minister said industries had been revived and the journey of development was well on course. She observed that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif was an example for all the provinces and people of other provinces also wanted a chief minister like him. Shahbaz Sharif was a heart-throb of the people of Pakistan for the services that he rendered for them, she added.

Maryam observed that the other provinces only made announcements but had not initiated a single development project. No project had been started and inaugurated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2013, she added

The minister said the people had rejected the politicians, who did politics of anarchy and sit-ins. The PML-N, she added, not only initiated development projects but also completed them. The people of Pakistan knew that the PML-(N was the only party which served them, she said.

She said China was making investment of billions of dollars in Pakistan through CPEC which would not only boost the development process in the country but would also provide jobs to millions of youth.

The minister said when the PML-N assumed power the country was facing load-shedding of 16-17 hours. The PML-N government had overcome the power shortage through a better strategy and the amount of power produced during the last four years was more than added to the system during the last 66 years.

She quoted Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as having said that Nawaz Sharif had initiated so many development projects they would not end even if he continued to inaugurate them till June 2018.

Marriyum said the aim and objective of everybody should be to work for the development of the country. She said the elements trying to tarnish the image and identity of the country were in fact harming themselves.

The minister said when the people did not vote for the opposition they started hurling allegations of rigging. She reiterated that the former Prime Minister had been sent home on the basis of an ‘Iqama’ as corruption of not a single rupee had been established against him. She said the PML-N government had also given confidence to women and their presence in the function was very encouraging.

Maryam congratulated the newly elected office-bearers of the press club and also administered oath to them. Minister for National Health Saira Afzal Tarar also attended the function.