The video of Firdous Ashiq Awan asking question to a mother of eight that what else her husband does besides having children goes viral on social media.
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-April 11th, 2020) A poor mother of eight children became laughing stock after Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan publicly made her fun somewhere in Islamabad here on Saturday.
The woman had come there to seek assistance when she became target.
“Eight children! What else your husband do besides this work?,” Dr. Fridous Ashiq Awan asked the woman who was looking helpless and doing nothing other than passing a fake smile. There were six men standing around when she made these remarks to the poor mother.
The video of Awan’s objectionable remarks went viral on social media, triggering a new debate regarding treatment of poor women by such a high level government official during funds distribution under Ehsaas Program.
“She should not use such words for a poor woman who had come there for assistance,” said a social media user.
Later, talking to the reporters, Dr. Awan said the government was providing cash assistance to mitigate sufferings of the common people in wake of COVID-19 outbreak. She said the government is reaching out to deserving families to help oppressed and destitute class by extending financial assistance under Ehsas Cash Emergency Program.
She said 8,15,548 families received the cash assistance by yesterday. She said 27 cash points have been established in Islamabad for disbursement of 12,000 rupees to each deserving family under the cash program. She said only those people should come to the cash points, who receive an SMS in this regard, while others should wait for the next phase to be started soon.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the district administration is also evaluating requests for cash assistance and deserving families, finalized through this process, will be entertained in the third phase. She said the government is going to distribute 144 billion rupees to the deserving families under Ehsas Emergency Cash Program.
The Special Assistant said it is the biggest programme in country's history aimed at investing in human capital, while ensuring utmost transparency, and to help common people in difficult times.
Yesterday, an aged woman died in Multan due to mismanagement outside a school in Multan where the funds were being distributed under Ehsaas program. The locals said that she died as a result of stampede as hundreds of women gathered outside the school to seek assistance but no official was there to maintain discipline.
