KOHAT, April 4: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has stressed the need for women’s participation in all fields of life for bringing about positive change in society and promised to encourage them at government level.

This he stated while addressing a public meeting at Gumbat Town, 40kms from here on the Rawalpindi Road on Friday.

Mr Durrani claimed that the opposition had been saying that the MMA government was against women’s role in politics and other fields which they had proved wrong by allowing them to continue their work and play their due role in the development of the country.

He said the MMA government had opened a number of women’s colleges and training institutes throughout the province for which they had allocated a separate fund for the first time in the history of the country.

To a demand made by the local people he promised to discuss the issue of constructing a girls college in Gumbat if found feasible.

He said Rs 400 million had been sanctioned for Kohat which would be spent through the MNA and three MPAs according to their priorities.

He praised the role of the NWFP police in curbing the crimes and arresting proclaimed offenders.

He vowed to eliminate corruption from government departments and punish those involved in it. However, he blamed former rulers of promoting the culture of bribe, loot and plunder  and  destruction of important  institutions.

Earlier when he arrived in Kohat he addressed the people during which he said that agriculture was the backbone of our country and small irrigation projects like Khandar Dam would enable the farmers to utilize millions of acres of barren land.

Later speaking at a Friday congregation at the mosque of Hazrat Haji Bahadur he called upon the Muslims and politicians to unite at one platform by forgetting all differences. He said differences among politicians and religious parties would only work for the cause of the enemies who did not want to see Pakistan on the map of the world.

He also condemned the war on Iraq terming it unlawful and against the norms of the civilized world. He asked the UN to play its role and stop further destruction in Iraq and loss of precious human lives. He said the world should realize the gravity of the issue and stop the super power from further aggression.

He said the public opinion all over the world was against such  aggressions  for oil and they had proved  this  by participating in large numbers in the protest programmes.

The banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan postponed its protest meeting which was organized to ask the chief minister to condemn the US and UK openly for attacking a Muslim independent state and take a principled and clear stand on it.

The administration requested the provincial deputy secretary general of SSP Haji Abid to postpone the agitation to some other day because it might create law and order situation in the city where the sentiments of the people were already against the US. The chief minister called on Pir Munim Shah , a local JUI leader in Janglekhel and discussed with him party matters.

Mufti Ibrar Sultan, MNA, Shad Khan, MPA, Khalid Habib, MPA, Arbab Shehzad, secretary irrigation and other high officials accompanied the chief minister during his tour of Kohat.