Faraz takes oath as info minister

28 Apr, 2020

Syed Shibli Faraz is the son of prominent Urdu poet, late Ahmad Faraz and nephew of former speaker Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Barrister Masood Kausar.

He did Masters in International Relations from the University de Los Andes (Colombia) in 1994.

Shibli Farz has been elected on a general seat of the Upper House from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the PTI ticket.

Senator Shibli Faraz was appointed as the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, while Chairman China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa (retired) was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting in place of Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan late on Monday.

Syed Shibli Faraz and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa (retired) also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Matters pertaining to new assignment of Faraz and SAPM Lt Gen Bajwa (retired) were discussed during a meeting.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter to congratulate both the personalities.

Faraz is serving as the Leader of the House in the Senate, while Lt Gen Asim Bajwa (retired) has served formerly as the DG ISPR.

It remains unclear why the government chose to bring about the changes to the Information Ministry.

After this decision of the Prime Minister, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said in a tweet, "I'm thankful to the prime minister for trusting me."

She said that she tried to fulfill her responsibilities to the best of her abilities.

"The prime minister has the right to decide, which player of the team should play on what batting order or which field position. I respect the prime minister's decision," she said.

The former special assistant strongly refuted the "baseless allegations as propaganda in various reports on media" following the decision.

She said: "As a political activist, my mission is the country's growth and its people's welfare, which will continue under the prime minister's leadership." "I wish a hearty congratulation to Shibli Faraz and Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa," she noted.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had appointed Dr Firdous as special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting in April 2019.

She had replaced Fawad Chaudhry, who is currently the Minister for Science and Technology.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020

Read Comments