31 August 2004	Tuesday	14 Rajab 1425

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ISLAMABAD Aug 30: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that his government will take all political parties along in order to make collective efforts for people's welfare and development.

Talking to a Pakistan People's Party (PPP) delegation led by its chairman Rao Sikandar Iqbal, the prime minister said the common man "needs to be looked after" and all public representatives must collectively work for development and prosperity.

The delegation, comprising 13 MNAs, had called on Prime Minister Aziz during an open house. On Sunday, a delegation of five MNAs of the same party had met the premier in an apparent effort to persuade him to drop two members of their party from the new cabinet.

Dr Sher Afgan, who was in the group, told Dawn on Monday that "we impressed upon the prime minister not to include anyone in his cabinet against whom there were public complaints or against whom stories were circulating in newspapers".

The PPP delegation led by Rao Sikandar Iqbal, which met the prime minister on Monday, included the party's president Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, secretary general Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, Noraiz Shakoor, Raza Hayat Harraj and Raees Munir Ahmed.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Sherpao said that the lawmakers had met Mr Aziz to facilitate him on assuming the office of prime minister and did not discuss anything else. He said: "It was an open house and we met him like other legislators."

He said that neither the party delegation nor the group which had called on the premier on Sunday had discussed with him anything about the formation of new cabinet. Talking to another delegation led by MNA Makhdoom Ahmed Alam Anwar, Mr Aziz emphasized the importance of agriculture and said that the government had set a target of eight per cent growth in this sector.

He said that 60 per cent of the country's population depended on agriculture which required the fullest attention of the government. He said efforts would be made to provide clean drinking water in rural areas. Roads, electricity and basic health schemes would be executed with the help of district governments, he said.