Islamabad: Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday urged the opposition to move beyond criticism and political point-scoring and instead present practical solutions to national challenges.
Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Assembly in Islamabad, the minister said politics should be driven by policy alternatives and measurable outcomes rather than rhetoric. He said governance-focused competition among political parties was essential for addressing issues such as development gaps, security, and human development.
The minister said that modern public-sector initiatives introduced under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, including forensic laboratories and crime control departments, should be replicated across provinces. He remarked that narrative-driven politics had contributed to uneven development, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Tarar said political discourse had increasingly shifted to social media, where debate often turned into personal attacks rather than constructive engagement. He emphasized that global progress was now measured by skill development, infrastructure growth, and improvements in human development indicators, rather than slogans.
Youth engagement and policy development
Highlighting the role of young people in politics, the minister praised the participation of students in democratic platforms such as youth assemblies, describing them as training grounds for future leadership and policy formulation. He encouraged the creation of shadow cabinets to allow opposition parties to present alternative policies on economic and health challenges.
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Referring to past political practices, Tarar recalled that earlier leadership placed greater emphasis on development and governance. He cited former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s focus on health and education during his tenure as chief minister and said political maturity was reflected in respecting electoral mandates, including the formation of provincial governments by opposition parties.
Governance, media, and social sector initiatives
The minister also discussed changes in the media landscape, noting that while print and electronic media operated under editorial and regulatory frameworks, social media remained largely unregulated, contributing to challenges such as misinformation, intolerance, and online harassment, despite its positive role in information sharing.
Highlighting healthcare initiatives, Tarar referred to institutions such as the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Transplant Institute and the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, which serve patients from multiple regions. He said similar facilities were needed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve access to specialized healthcare.
Defending government education initiatives, the minister said schemes such as the laptop programme and Danish Schools were implemented on merit and aimed at expanding opportunities for underprivileged students, including orphans. He also pointed to the province’s untapped mineral and gemstone resources, stressing the need for transparent extraction and regulation systems.
The event was also attended by Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information on KP Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan and other officials.
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