Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Saturday said “government does not intend to curb media freedom as democracy and media independence goes hand in hand”. In a statement she said the government wanted to empower media to strengthen democracy, but media without law and democracy could not flourish. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government strongly believes in freedom of expression and media but the freedom must be coupled with responsibility and in conformity to societal norms, she said.