Democratic institutions functioning successfully: Amir

ISLAMABAD—Speaker National Assembly Chaudary Amir Hussain on Saturday said that all democratic institutions were functioning successfully in the country.Talking to APP here, he said the parliament for the first time in the constitutional history of the country was nearing completion of its tenure of five years. The country had been put on the road of democracy because of promotion of democracy at grossroots level, he added.
He said masses had become politically conscious and they would not allow anybody to harm national interests. Ch. Amir Hussain further said that promotion of democracy and strengthening of democratic institutions was the top priority of of the government adding PML-Q government was making strenuous efforts to further promote democracy and to strengthen the democratic institutions in the country.
The Speaker said that government believed in freedom of media as a result of which drastic steps had already been taken for extending permission of opening new TV channels in the country. The print and electronic media serve as a bridge between the politicians and people besides influencing the decisions of the government on national issues, he observed.
Ch Amir Hussain said that journalist community was performing its duty without any pressure and added uppermost duty of the journalist community was to highlight their reports based on facts without any fear and favour and if they worked under pressure national press will face decline.
The healthy and impartial criticism could guide the government and political leaders to change their viewpoint on various national and international issues, he said. He urged both the print and electronic media to work for eradication of parochialism and menace of suicidal attacks as well as for enhancing the prestige of Pakistan through their reports. The government was committed to hold fair, free and impartial general election on scheduled time in the country, the speaker said.
The government had spent billions of rupees on the provision of electricity, telecommunication, Sui gas, healthcare, means of communication and education to the masses in the country, he said. —APP