LAHORE: Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry says PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s ‘childish’ politics will not lead her party [to] anywhere and stresses it is high time that all political parties came forward and brought about reforms in every `irritating law’ in the parliament.

Mr Chaudhry was speaking at a news conference after the MoU signing ceremony between the PCSIR and LAMPRON to move ahead towards establishing a $500 billion semiconductor industry for which the USA and China were already engaged in a cold war.

He said the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had come up with amendments beginning with electoral reforms in the National Assembly and now “it is imperative upon the opposition parties to present their amendments to end ‘farce’ in elections recently seen in the Senate poll.”

He added reforms could also be made in other matters including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as well as appointment and ouster of judges.

Flays Maryam for doing ‘childish’ politics

He said Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser would return from Turkey on Monday (tomorrow) and constitute a committee to discuss electoral reforms.

Since the PDM forum had almost eroded due to ‘childish’ and ‘personalised’ politics of PML-N and PPP leaders, the federal minister said the government would now contact all political parties individually.

“The politics of resignations has come to its logical end and now all parties need to focus and participate in reforms for the betterment of politics in particular and the country in general,” he said.

To a question, the federal minister said PML-N’s parliamentary party led by Shahbaz Sharif would decide and nominate with whom the government would consult for talks on reforms.

To another question, he agreed that the NAB should have treated Maryam Nawaz like any other [accused] and should not have opted for a retreat following threats by the PML-N leaders of bringing the mob to the watchdog office.

“If NAB called Maryam Nawaz then it should have investigated her,” he said and added that such actions shattered public confidence in state institutions.

Replying to a question, he said, the judges did not understand how technology works and explained that the Islamabad High Court banned YouTube in 2014-15 whereas YouTube as well as Facebook took their businesses to India.

Now, he said, the judiciary imposed a ban on TikTok, when the Chinese companies wanted to invest in Pakistan.

FIRDOUS: Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq says Maryam Nawaz and her close aides have begun criticising Prime Minister Imran Khan yet again just for face-saving and political mileage.

Speaking to the media during her visit to a Darul Aman here on Saturday, she said those levelling allegations of Rs2.5 billion sugar subsidy on the government had forgotten that Rs27bn subsidy was given during their tenure and distributed among ‘their nieces, nephews, sons and friends’.

She said the credit went to the PTI government for holding an impartial inquiry into the issue of sugar subsidy and those responsible were brought to book.

Dr Awan said the PDM was history now because of the differences between the PML-N and the PPP and both had started exposing each other.

She said the Punjab government was committed to making the helpless girls of Darul Aman productive citizens of society by educating and training them. She said Darul Amans had been set up in each of the 36 districts of the province and providing welfare facilities to the deserving women.

She regretted that majority of the women living in Darul Aman were victims of domestic violence and gender discrimination.

She reviewed arrangements in Darul Aman and listened to problems of girls. She also distributed gifts among residents of Darul Aman.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2021