ISLAMABAD – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information andBroadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said it was first time in thehistory of Pakistan that a prime minister had preferred national interestover personal interest by changing the portfolios of ministers and removingsome others.Talking to a private news channel, she said Prime Minister Imran Khan wasready to take any step to meet the current challenges being faced by thecountry.Rejecting rumors about any grouping in the party, she said there wasdemocracy in the party and everyone’s opinion was sought during cabinetmeeting, adding difference of opinion exists everywhere and it was thebeauty of democracy.Changing or replacing cabinet members was not a new thing as PakistanPeoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had also donethe same in their tenures, she added.It was the prerogative of the prime minister to give responsibility toanyone he deemed fit for the job, she mentioned.Awan said the reshuffling of ministers was done on the basis ofperformance.“I am grateful to PM Imran Khan for reposing trust in me and will try mylevel best to fulfill all the responsibilities given to me,” she stated.Firdous said she believed in team work and would take along all thestakeholders to run the affairs of her portfolio.She said strong relations would be established with media and attacheddepartments of information ministry and media would be given its due rights.Responding to a question regarding the removal of Asad Umar as financeminister, the PTI leader said Asad Umar was a capable man but due to thecurrent economic situation, it was necessary to bring someone who hadstrong personal relationing at international level.The prime minister had clearly declared that those who would not performwell in their respective ministries would be sent home, she said.Firdous said in past both the major political parting even presidentMusharaf had taken the service of technocrats to boost the economy.
For the first time in history any PM preferred national interest over personal interests, says new Info Minister
