LAHORE In yet another blatant U-turn by the government, Federal Minister for Information Firdous Aashiq Awan Friday contradicted the defence ministers statements wherein he had said that Pakistan has asked the United States to vacate the Shamsi Airbase. Firdous at a media interaction took the journalists by surprise by declaring that her government was unaware of any issue relating to Shamsi airbase. No such matter ever came under consideration in the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) to which I am also a member, the information minister said while replying to a question in 'Meet the Press programme of Lahore Press Club. Ms Awan said she came to know about it only through media, but at the government level it had not been taken up as yet. She said DCC was the right forum to discuss such matters and the committee had not yet deliberated over it. But, ironically, at the same time she was quick to add that ISPR will be in a better poison to give any statement on the issue leaving the media men to infer that the defence minister, instead of the taking instructions from the prime minister, directly consults the military on the defence matters. When asked about governments policy on drone attacks, she confined herself to saying that the parliament had already passed a unanimous resolution to stop drone attacks and a commission had also been formed to deliberate on such issues. Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told a group of journalists on Wednesday that Pakistan had asked Washington to leave Shamsi Airbase in Balochistan, which had been provided to the United States after it launched a counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan in 2001. Mukhtar told Reuters on Thursday that Islamabad had been pressuring the US to leave the base even before the May 2 commando raid in which US Navy Seal commandos killed Osama bin Laden. After the raid, Mukhtar said, We told them again. Reacting to the Mukhtars earlier statement, US officials in Washington said there was no plan to evacuate the base. That base is neither vacated nor being vacated, said a US official familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive material. The information was confirmed by a second US official. The US declaration that drone operations in Pakistan will continue unabated is the latest twist in a fraught relationship between security authorities in Washington and Islamabad, which has been under increasing strain for months. The information minister during her visit to the Press Club was accompanied by Federal Minister Samina Khalid Ghurki, PPP Punjab General Secretary Sami Ullah Khan, Presidents Coordinator Navid Ch and party former Lahore President Haji Azizur Rehman Chan. She also gave a Rs1 million cheque to Press Club on the occasion. To a question about Punjab governments reservations on devolution of ministries, she said that Council of Common Interests (CCI) was there to resolve contentious issues between the provinces and the federation. If any province has any reservations about the devolution process, its chief minister should write to the prime minister to convene CCI meeting for the purpose, she added. Firdous said that after devolution of ministries to the provinces, their responsibilities had increased many manifolds. The provinces now have the powers and resources at their disposal to work for the masses, she averred, adding that provincial autonomy day was being celebrated across the country on Friday to mark the completion of devolution process initiated after passage of the 18th Amendment. She said President Asif Ali Zardari had fulfilled the commitment of party founder ZA Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto made to the people regarding devolution of power. To a question about alleged discrimination being meted out to Punjab with regard to supply of gas, she disagreed with the questioner saying this was not the case. But if there exists some bureaucratic drama in this regard the issue will be sorted out, she assured. Responding to a question on formation of Seraiki province, she said, Wherever there is injustice, the demand for separate province is sure to come. If the funds meant for a particular region are spent on Raiwind, the people will voice their concern, she observed. The Sharifs live in Pakistan, but talk of Jaati Umra, Ms Awan added. Talking about constitutional aspect of the issue, the minister said that a separate province could not be created without approval of the provincial assembly concerned and for it two-thirds majority was needed. Replying to a question about separation of MQM and JUI-F from the government, she said every political party had its own agenda to follow. We want the MQM to play effective role in countrys politics, but cannot force it to rejoin the government, she maintained. She said that government may start negotiations with the MQM after Presidents return from abroad. Dr Awan, however, said, Everybody wants to remain part of government to take credit on some issues, but when it comes to sharing discredit, they part ways. She asked government critics to accept defeat in AJP polls and prepare for the coming general elections. She alleged that Punjab government tried to rig AJK elections in Lahore and forced the election commission to close the polling. She said statements by PML-N leaders during election campaign had damaged Kashmir cause. When you give damaging statements against state institutions inside Kashmir, India would be the only beneficiary of such a situation, she said. Stressing the need for a code of conduct for the media, the information minister said that government welcomed criticism of its acts, but the media should understand the difference between criticism on government and the state. A criticism on state may go against the national interest, she added.