LAHORE: Federal Information Minister said on Friday that the issue of Shamsi air base was being discussed only in the media.

“As far as I know the matter has not been discussed in the meetings of the defence committee,” she said.

She was speaking at a ‘meet the press’ programme of the Lahore Press Club.

When asked about Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar’s statement on withdrawal of US forces from the air base, she said the matter concerned the defence ministry and the ISPR. It was not within her domain, she added.

The defence minister had told a group of journalists on Wednesday that Pakistan had asked the US to withdraw its forces from the Shamsi air base.

Ms Awan said the issue of Muttahida Qaumi Movement quitting the government would be taken up on President Asif Ali Zardari’s return from London.

She said the PPP believed in the politics of reconciliation and respected the mandate of the MQM and it was up to it to rejoin the government or sit on opposition benches.

The minister said the MQM had reservations on the AJK polls but how did the question of rigging arise when there had been no election on two Karachi seats. “The MQM has misunderstandings which will be removed.”

She criticised PML-N’s attitude over the AJK elections. “It is unfortunate that law-enforcement agencies did not act in the face of hooliganism and rigging in Lahore,” she said and asked the PML-N to accept its defeat gracefully.

Ms Awan said the PML-N leaders attacked national institutions during the election campaign and asked them to stop harming the Kashmir cause.

She regretted that by levelling rigging allegations the PML-N was insulting the mandate of Kashmiri people.

“Despite all the propaganda the PPP emerged victorious in Azad Kashmir which demonstrated people’s political awareness.”

The minister said those who were demanding mid-term elections were upset by the PPP’s historic victory in Azad Kashmir.

She said the PPP government had abolished the concurrent list, a feat the PML-N government could not achieve despite having a two-thirds majority in parliament.

She said the federal government could not retain assets of devolved ministries. “If a province has any problem in this regard it can write to the prime minister or move the Council of the Common Interests,” she said.

She said the PPP would not take a solo flight on the issue of carving out new provinces and take all political forces on board.

About the proposed loadshedding of CNG in Punjab, she said she belonged to this province and no injustice would be done in this regard. She said the government had decided to withdraw subsidy on gas for fertiliser companies.