Fawad defends PM Imran's criticism of envoys

(Karachi) Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan always stands with the working class and not the elite.

Defending the PM on criticizing Pakistan's ambassadors at a press briefing on Friday, he said that the PML-N's criticism of the prime minister's speech to ambassadors has come as a surprise to them. He expressed disappointment over the PML-N's criticism, saying the party is not ready to cooperate with the government on any issue.

He added that if we can't raise our voices for overseas Pakistanis, we don't have any right to remain in government.

The minister maintained, "If we want Pakistan to progress as a nation, we would have to uplift the working class."

The information minister spoke about an incident involving an overseas Pakistani woman, saying that she was being subjected to unjust treatment over the past three years. "When she contacted an [Pakistani] embassy, she was told, 'The police should take action against you for marrying thrice'," said Chaudhry.

He highlighted that a few embassies are not facilitating overseas Pakistani laborers and action should be taken against those found guilty.

Fawad's statement comes a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan asked the country's ambassadors serving abroad to forgo colonial-era attitudes and treat overseas Pakistanis with compassion. He said the current indifferent attitude towards expatriates is not acceptable.

The premier read out specific complaints received from overseas Pakistanis, especially those in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, asking the embassies to put their affairs in order.