ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi said on Thursday that all the political parties should have a vision for the better economic future of the country.

He said this in a seminar on “Pakistan Elections 2024: Economic Reforms Agenda of Political Parties”, hosted by the Press Information Department here.

He said, “Political parties should give a vision for the betterment of the country”.

The minister said that there is a dire need to improve the economy of the country.

There was no ban on politics, but politics should not be done at the cost of the future of the country, he added.

While highlighting the main issues he said, “Our main issues are education, health, gender equality”.

The minister requested the future rulers and political parties to bring a realistic economic reform agenda and do not make mere promises that were difficult to fulfill. The minister said that 2024 was the year of elections which would be held on February 8. “No one should have any doubt about holding of elections in the country”, he said.

The minister said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), using its authority, had given the date of elections and it stood by that position.

He said that the ECP was the only constitutional institution in Pakistan, which had to give the schedule and also the date and no other institution had the power to change it. “We are bound to fulfill the financial, administrative and security requirements of the Election Commission and we will fulfill this responsibility”, Solangi said.

Earlier, the caretaker Minister Solangi congratulated the newly elected office-bearers of the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA).

He, in a news statement, felicitated IHCJA’s President Fayyaz Mehmood, Senior Vice President Hussain Ahmed, Vice President (Women) Ambreen Ali, General Secretary Muhammad Imran, and other officials on winning the election. Their victory in the election was a manifestation of the trust reposed by the court reporters in them, the minister added. He expressed the hope that the newly elected regime would meet the expectations of the court reporters.

Highlighting the crucial role being played by court reporters in journalism, Solangi said that it was technical reporting since the reporters were required to have legal knowledge.

The government firmly believed in freedom of press and expression, he said, while underlining the need for promoting impartial journalism in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024