PRIME Minister Imran Khan made changes in his media team for the third time on Monday replacing Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan with Senator Shibli Faraz as Federal Minister while former Director-General, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) retired Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa has been appointed as Special Assistant to PM on I&B. The changes were dramatic and sudden but have widely been hailed not just by the Party rank and file but also by those having close eyes on the media scene of the country.
Irrespective of the reasons behind the surprise move, the fact remains that replacements in media team have the potential to bring about a real change in the working and output of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting bringing it in line with the requirements of the modern and challenging times. This is because Shibli Faraz has a reputation of a mature, serious-minded and balanced personality – qualities that make him a good choice for the assignment. The soft-spoken Senator would hopefully not complicate things for his boss or the Government by unwanted and irrelevant remarks that his predecessors were known for and contributed to worsening of Government-Opposition relations. Similarly, he has a vision, which is reflected in the remarks he made after announcement of his appointment as Minister. He believes and rightly so that the Information Ministry has always been run in a “certain fixed pattern” without keeping in mind the requirements of the present time, vowing to bring the Ministry in step with the changing time and current needs of the country. The new Special Assistant too has a knack for change and demonstrated his skills exhaustively during his tenure as DG, ISPR from 2012 to 2016. He contributed immensely in upgrading working of the institution responsible for promoting the cause of the armed forces and his performance was so superb that even many Indians wished to have a similar man at the head of media wing of their armed forces. It was because of his administrative and professional skills that he was appointed as Chairman of the newly created China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, a position he continues to hold alongside his new responsibility. Information Ministry and its attached departments like Pakistan Television, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) have the necessary paraphernalia and manpower to deliver provided they are run on purely professional lines and with the duo of Shibli-Bajwa at the helm of affairs one hopes the cherished objective would be achieved.
