03 September 2004	Friday	17 Rajab 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has decided to visit Thar area soon to meet the people who elected him an MNA with a big majority in the Aug 18 bye-election, an official handout issued here on Thursday said.

Mr Aziz vacated the Thar seatand kept the Attock seat. However, he had promised to give equal attention to both constituencies. The premier has directed deputy chairman of planning and Sindh Chief Secretary to personally visit Thar immediately to identify schemes for water supply, construction and repair of roads and adequate supply of medicines to treat snake-bite cases in the area and provision of adequate health and education facilities to the people there.

He said the government would ensure provision of basic amenities to the people of Thar which had been deined to them by all past governments. He further directed the deputy chairman of planning and the Sindh Chief Secretary to meet nazims, public representatives so that development projects could be initiated in accordance with public demands, needs and requirements.

Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Maqbool, NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah and Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yusuf separately met the Prime Minister and briefed him about development works and needs of their provinces.

In his meeting with the Punjab Governor, the prime minister reiterated the commitment of his government to give every possible assistance to complete ongoing development projects in the province in order to provide relief to the common man as the country was back on the path of growth.

In his meeting with NWFP governor, the premier asked him to indicate more development projects apart from the ongoing development schemes that could be started immediately and provide basic health facilities to the common man.

He also discussed law and order situation in the province with the governor. He reiterated his government's resolve to restore peace and tranquillity to the province. The premier discussed progress on the ongoing mega development projects in the province while talking to the Balochistan chief minister.

He said the government was firmly committed to improving the living standard of the people and expressed the confidence that on completion of mega projects carried out through the federal governmnent grants in Balochistan the pace of economic progress will be accelerated and more job opportunities would be available to the people of the province.

The prime minister said that the underdeveloped areas would be given top priority in the development projects to bring them on a par with developed areas. MNA Zahid Hamid, Senator Mir Naseer Mengal and MNA Riaz Hussain Pirzada also called on the premier separately to felicitate him on the assumption of his office and assured him their full support.

Talking to the lawmakers, the prime minister said that forward-looking and progressive Pakistan was the main goal of the government it was committed to setting up a welfare state that provide good governance to the people and to improve their quality of life.