Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan on Wednesday tendered apology over his offensive remarks to journalists at the death memorial of late Qazi Hussain Ahmed.
The provincial information minister in his clarification said that he gave the uncalled for reaction because he was going through troubled times as his wife was admitted in Services Hospital.
“Before I went on stage to speak in the memorial, my driver passed me a chit in which it was said that your wife was admitted to Services Hospital in an unconscious state,” he said.
“It was a very tense moment for me, so I gave my response in light of it. If someone is offended by my response I apologise for my words,” he said.
The journalists, present on the occasion, accepted Chohan’s apology.
A journalist, on Tuesday, requested the minister to respond on the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief’s statement alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) promise of turning the country into Medina is baseless as the government did not even take a single step for it.
Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, rather than responding to the question, lambasted at the journalist, saying that the journalist should feel ashamed for asking such a question.
The reporters, outside Punjab Assembly, staged a protest on Hassan Chohan’s arrival at the dice.
Irked by questions of the media, the minister stated that such a question should have been asked from JI and called the media “shameless”. Responding to his comments, reporters lodged a strong protest and surrounded his car when the PTI minister tried to get away.
Published in Daily Times, January 10th 2019.
