Former DG ISPR and Chairman CPEC Lt General (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa has replaced Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting.

Apart from this, Senator Shibli Faraz has been appointed the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting. The development was revealed on Monday.

The notification issued state that “The Prime Minister has been pleased to remove Dr.Firdous Ashiq Awan from the office of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting with immediate effect.”

Taking to Twitter, Awan thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for trusting her, saying it was his prerogative to decide which member of his team will serve on what position. “I respect his decision,” she added.

She also refuted news reports aired by some TV channels claiming she was removed from her office due to alleged corruption, terming them “concocted” and “baseless”.

وزارت سے ہٹائےجانےکےحوالےسےمیڈیاپرچلنےوالی من گھڑت خبروں میں لگائےگئےبےبنیادالزامات کی سختی سےتردیدکرتی ہوں۔سیاسی کارکن کی حیثیت سےمیرانصب العین ملک کی ترقی اورعوام کی فلاح ہے۔جوPMکی قیادت میں جاری رکھاجائےگا۔@shiblifaraz⁩اور ⁦@AsimSBajwa⁩کودلی مبارکباداور
نیک تمنائیں

— Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousPTI) April 27, 2020

“As a political worker, my objective is the country’s progress and the welfare of the people, which will continue under the PM’s leadership,” Awan wrote, congratulating Faraz and Bajwa on their appointments.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Faraz — who was appointed as the leader of the house in Senate in August 2018 — was elected to the upper house in March 2015 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He is the son of acclaimed (late) poet Ahmed Faraz.

Faraz, a former banker, is chairman of the Senate’s standing committee on commerce and special committee on circular debt. He is also a member of the committee on planning and development and reforms, water resources, statistics, and climate change and a member of the parliamentary committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Retired Lt Gen Bajwa had served as Commander Southern Command before his retirement. He remained the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) from 2012 to 2016.

In November last year, Bajwa was appointed by the government as the chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA), which comes under the planning and development ministry.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa has been appointed as the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Information & Broadcasting. Official notification in this regard has been issued. @AsimSBajwa pic.twitter.com/MXksNoVIS8

— PTV World (@WorldPTV) April 27, 2020