12 February 2004	Thursday	20 Zilhaj 1424

QUETTA, Feb 11: The United States Agency for International Development in collaboration with the National Rural Support Programme has launched a two-year innovation programme in Balochistan aimed at addressing community-level priority development challenges through private sector partnership.

Provincial Minister for Local Government Hafiz Hussain Ahmed Shurudy chaired the opening ceremony at the assembly hall of the district government here on Tuesday. The topic was "rewarding innovations at the district level in Balochistan."

The minister assured the USAID and NRSP that the Balochistan government would extend all possible cooperation to make the programme successful. Welcoming the idea of the participation of the private sector, he expressed the hope that investment by the private sector would promote development activities that would contribute in lessening the problems faced by the people in the province.

Earlier, USAID-NRSP Chief Executive Officer Dr Rashid Bajwa said the programme was being implemented in all four provinces and the idea behind this was to create new opportunities for local governments at district, tehsil, town, and union councils to resolve community-level problems.

He announced that under the programme competitive grant up to Rs2.8 million would be available for development projects through public-private partnerships. MPA Ms Raheela Durani, National Rural Support Programme provincial Coordinator Akhtar Hussain and Balochistan Rural Support Programme Chairman Sardar Naseer Tareen spoke on the occasion.

BD NATIONALS HELD: About 35 Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested while they were trying to cross into Iranian illegally in the Taftan area on Tuesday, official sources said.

"All the Bangladeshis were caught crossing into Iran from an infrequented route without having the legal travelling documents," a senior official of the law enforcement agency confirmed by telephone from Taftan.

Other sources said that these Bangladeshi nationals had been living illegally in different areas of Balochistan and reached Taftan two days back to cross into Iran.

"A case has been registered against them," Pakistani immigration officials in Taftan said. The arrested persons were handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further questioning.