PESHAWAR, Sept 6: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has denied  the presence of Taliban or Al Qaeda activists in the province and asked the Centre to take the provincial government into confidence before initiating  any action in its jurisdiction.

Talking to the foreign journalists in Islamabad, the chief minister said  the provincial government was not interfering in the affairs of others nor would it allow anyone to interfere in its affairs.

Mr Durrani said the borders with Afghanistan were sealed and there was no illegal movement in the area.

He said no foreigner was living in the province and the police were equipped to handle any emergency or terrorist activity. There were laws for all kinds of crimes and the wrongdoers were punished according to the  laid down procedure of justice, he said. However, the chief minister said there should be a clear definition  of terrorism.

He said the independence movements going on in Kashmir and areas should not be construed as terrorism.  

The NWFP hosted more than three million Afghan refugees for decades and the people of the province had developed close relations with them in trade, cultural and other fields, he said.

The chief minister said the international community withdrew its assistance from the refugees after the disintegration of the Soviet Union but the people of the NWFP showed their traditional magnanimity and continued helping them.

He said though the international community had pledged to reconstruct and rehabilitate Afghanistan, the pace of reconstruction in very slow.

He said that as long as civic facilities, including hospitals, colleges  and schools were not put in place, the repatriation of refugees would be useless.

He said his government had initiated the projects of widening the  Torkham-Jalalabad road and construction of the Ghulam Khan road to participate in Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

The chief minister the Afghan borders had remained secure during the past 56 years although army was not deployed there.

He said three provincial assemblies had passed resolutions against the construction of the Kalabagh dam and it should be discarded. He said the project was not an ordinary issue as the unity of the federation depended on it.

He said the federal government should remove the apprehensions of the three smaller province before starting the project. However, it was better not to start the controversial project and work on Bhasha dam and other plans on which no one had any objection.

Talking about the achievements of his government, he said the Muttahida Majlis-Amal had introduced a concept of good governance in the province and most of the people’s problems had been addressed.

In a short period, the government got the Shariat bill passed unanimously from the assembly, he said and added that soon the Hasba act would also be adopted. He said the Hasba department would reduce the burden on the courts. He dispelled the impression that a Hasba force would be created.

He said law and order was better in the NWFP than other provinces.

He said an effective strategy had been adopted in collaboration with the governor to deal with the antisocial elements who went to the tribal areas after committing crimes.

He said Peshawar was a gateway to Central Asia and better law and order situation was necessary for development of business and trade through the route.

He said the government had created a congenial environment for investment and started contacts with Middle Eastern countries to attract investment in water and power, mineral, tourism and other fields.

With the establishment of Gadoon Amazai and Risalpur export processing zones, industrial growth would gain momentum and a strategy had been evolved for the revival of sick industrial units, he said.

He said a number of investors showed their interest in the province  during his visit to Saudi Arabia.