27 October 2004	Wednesday	12 Ramazan 1425

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ISLAMABAD Oct 26: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday reiterated the government's resolve to engage the opposition in meaningful dialogue and said it was ready to initiate talks with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on all issues.

The prime minister was speaking to the NWFP Chief Minister Mohammad Akram Durrani, who called on him at the Prime Minister's House.

On Monday, Mr Durrani held a meeting with the president's top aide and secretary of the National Security Council, Tariq Aziz, on matters relating to the upcoming NSC meeting.

This meeting was believed to be the beginning of a dialogue between the federal and the provincial government which might bring down the political temperature in the country.

Sources said that the prime minister asked Mr Durrani to help bring top MMA leaders to negotiating table to end the hostility that the opposition was demonstrating in the parliament.

An official handout said that the prime minister and the NWFP chief minister discussed the overall political situation, the government-opposition dialogue and development projects.

Both were of the view that there was a need to have an effective government-opposition dialogue and discussed the possibilities of initiating government-MMA talks.

Their discussions covered the law and order situation in the NWFP, progress on the federally-funded development projects and the status of hydel power profits.

Chief Minister Durrani briefed the prime minister on the talks held between the four provincial chief ministers earlier on Monday on National Finance Commission.

Prime Minister Aziz asked the chief minister to pool in all resources for development projects in his province and to work for the creation of a free and secure environment for development.

Meanwhile, the prime minister met women parliamentarians belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League. He welcomed passage of bill on honour killings by the National Assembly and told the government was taking every possible step for the welfare of women.

For this purpose, micro-credit facilities were being extended in rural areas for women and separate technical education institutions were being set up for them, the prime minister said.

Women members proposed to the prime minister to order setting up of day-care centres in urban areas for the benefit of working women.