ISLAMABAD - Federal Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid yesterday urged Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf to become part of solution in the reforms process for the wellbeing of masses.
Talking to the media persons here, he said the federal government has not created obstacles in the reforms programme of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and government expects the same response from the PTI. He, however, regretted that PTI Chairman Imran Khan always creates problems and visited Karachi recently to incite the employees of Pakistan International Airline. He said PTI chief should come to parliament and discuss the national issues on the floor.
The minister said reorganisation of national entities which are running in deficit is government's responsibility and part of our manifesto. He said the privatisation of national institutes is also part of PTI manifesto.
He said there was no justification for strike by PIA employees as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had already assured induction of 80 aircraft in PIA fleet and security of services to them. He said that the government has announced its clear plan over the privatisation of National flag carrier airline.
Rashid gave example of banks which were privatised in past, saying they are providing even better facilities to customers, condition of their workers is better, and they are working in profit. Only yesterday, a Pakistani bank has been declared as one of the best banks by international organisation.
Earlier, addressing the trainee officers in different departments of Radio Pakistan, the minister said the culture of merit, transparency revived to take country forward. He also praised the Radio Pakistan for merit-based recruitment of new staff.
He said Radio Pakistan has taken the lead to revive the culture of merit by recruiting the new officers purely on merit. He said the national broadcaster deserves appreciation for evolving such a mechanism that shut the doors for any illegal recruitment.
The minister said that there are great hardships in way of making recruitment on merit because of political influence, personal relations, friendship, and bribery.
He said ministers, MNAs, and Senators appreciated transparent recruitment process in Radio Pakistan.
He said all people in country have equal right to recruitment on merit regardless of their political, ethnic, lingual, racial or religious affiliation.
The minister was confident that the newly inducted officers of Radio Pakistan will promote the image of their organization on the basis of their capability.
Director General Radio Pakistan Imran Gardezi also spoke on the occasion and said we recruited capable candidates through NTS to enhance human resource capability of the organization. A comprehensive six-months training was arranged for new professionals enabling them to further improve broadcasts of the organization. For this purpose, services of veteran broadcasters and related fields were hired.
Resumption of PIA ops victory of principles: Pervaiz
APP adds: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid Wednesday said resumption of Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) flight operation and end of its employees strike was the victory of principles.
Talking to media persons after attending a function at Pakistan Broadcasting Academy (PBA) here he said that it was neither victory nor defeat of anybody and added that after end of government control PIA would fly high in the sky.
The minister said that the PML-N fully supported the reformational policies of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and hoped that PTI chairman Imran Khan would not try to get political mileage from federal government's plans to reform various institutions running in losses.
He said that leader of PIA Employees Joint Action Committee, Sohail Baloch admitted that the Prime Minister had assured him and his colleagues that the number of PIA aircraft would be increased to 80 and no employee would be dismissed from service, and there would be no cut in their perks and benefits.
Pervaiz Rashid said in such a situation there was no reason to observe strike and they should now move forward.
He said that all the political parties had pledged in their   manifestos, before general election 2013, to reform and reconstruct public sector organizations running in losses, but now they were opposing it.
He cited the example of banking sector which after coming out of government's control had not only improved its services and working environment but was also earning profit and paying taxes. 
The minister said in the past governments misused their authority and not only got loans sanctioned for their favorites, but got them written off. Now it was not possible as the banks had come out of the government control, he added.
He said that the banking sector experience had proved very successful and the same experience was being done in PIA so that it could come out of the control of the ministry and took decisions on merit.
But, he said, it seemed that Imran Khan wanted the national institutions should remain under the government control. Perhaps that suited the Bani Gala palace but not the masses, he added.
He said that it was right of the elected government of  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to bring reforms in the provincial hospitals and the people would decide in next elections whether they liked the KPK government's steps or not.
The minister said that in resolution of problems everybody   should think above politics and become part of the solution and not the problem.
To a question about PTI petition against the method of Islamabad mayor election, he said that the matter was subjudice and court verdict would be acceptable to all. However he said that law was formed in the past, but the PTI had challenged it now after realizing that it did not enjoy support of the majority and could lose mayoral elections.
About PML-N candidate for Islamabad mayor he said that he had been living in Islamabad for the past several years and was a member of the party's Central Executive Committee.
Earlier in his address, the minister said that the present government had introduced the culture of merit in recruitments.
He said that for recruitment of the posts of producers, reporters and engineers Director General PBC Imran Gardezi devised a fool proof strategy to ensure merit.
He said that nobody would be given priority on the basis of political affiliation, language, religion, and colour rather on the basis of their capabilities.