Editorial in Pakistan Today, Nov 4, 2020
For Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Information Ministry holds the key to keep the opposition down and complete his tenure. With little success to show, the PTI’s strategy relies on opposition bashing. Besides a fulltime Federal Information Minister, Mr Khan has collected together several spokespersons who meet regularly to take directions from him on how to demolish the opposition.
With the PML(N) still enjoying widespread support in Punjab, the province is seen as the PTI administration’s Achilles heel. The principal target here is the PML(N), which is being attacked on two issues of corruption and disloyalty to the state. Mr Khan however remains dissatisfied with the performance of the provincial government’s spin doctors. This explains why Punjab Information Ministry has changed hands five times over the last two years. Mr Khan wants an information minister who can tear apart the opposition’s anti-government narrative in a brash and abrasive manner. While Fayyazul Hasan Chohan was vicious enough, he was repetitive and too crude to appeal to the urban middle class.
Mr Chohan has been replaced by former SAPM Firdous Ashiq Awan, who was removed a few months back amidst allegations of corruption and misuse of authority. Her rise as Special Advisor to Chief Minister makes the PTI’s claim of fighting a crusade again corruption a mere charade. This is not the only case that shows that the PTI leadership is ready to sacrifice its hifalutin moral standards on the altar of political exigency. Last year Mr Chohan was removed from the post of provincial Information Minister following his derogatory remarks about the Hindu community, only to be re-inducted as Information Minister within months.
It reflects well neither on Mr Chohan nor the PTI administration that the outgoing Information Minister didn’t know beforehand, as he claims, that he was being relieved. Such is the decline of self-respect however, that ignominies of the sort are tolerated wearing a poker face.
While the PTI’s propagandists go full blast maligning the opposition what remains to be seen is whether their campaign can make the common man forget his daily suffering caused by shooting prices, increasing power and gas charges and rising unemployment.https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/03/the-fifth-information-minister-in-punjab/
