- State minister says ruling party to contest next election on basis of performance; ‘Media should avoid controversies, play responsible role about CPEC’
State Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the Pakistan Muslim League-N will contest the next election on basis of performance as it did fulfill promises by reversing decades-old threat of terrorism, achieving sustainable economic growth and overcoming acute energy shortages.
In an exclusive interview to APP during her visit to its headquarters, she said that the government was countering politics of other parties with its performance and Pakistan was changing and gaining stability on diverse fronts. She said that the politics and performance were now interlinked and people would vote to the parties on basis of their performance.
She said that Pakistan was passing through a defining moment, democracy was getting strengthened, development projects being completed and trust of people in democratic process was restored. She said that the government stimulated the economy and put it on the trajectory of growth and all surveys and indicators were testimony to the fact that Pakistan was on the rise.
The state minister said that the One Road One Belt initiative of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a blessing for the country as it would not only achieve connectivity for Pakistan but also for the whole region. “CPEC will connect with all the major economic hubs of the world. Not only we but the whole world has declared it a game-changer.”
Marriyum said those elements who wanted Pakistan to slide backwards were insecure about CPEC and people of Pakistan should not let these elements achieve their nefarious designs. The media should avoid controversies which are contrary to facts, she said, urging media to play a responsible role and avoid anything which could undermine CPEC.
Earlier, Marriyum urged a more pro-active role by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in projecting soft and positive image of Pakistan across the world. Chairing a high-level meeting during visit to the APP Head Office, she said that APP could make a sterling contribution towards presenting a true and soft image of Pakistan to the world by highlighting activities of sports, culture and tourism as well as mega projects like CPEC.
Earlier, APP Managing Director Muhammad Masood Malik briefed the state minister about the performance and functions of the news service. He said the national news service was transmitting news through written content, photos, video footage and social media. He said that APP has been providing news services in a number of languages including English, Urdu, Arabic, Saraiki, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi and Brahvi.
He said that the Video News Service launched in 2007 has been upgraded and APP has now modern video cameras and studios besides covering events live through its DSNG. She also visited the Central News Desk, Video News Service, general reporting and other editorial sections.