03 January 2005	Monday	21 Ziqa'ad 1425

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QUETTA, Jan 2: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday announced a Rs50 million development package for Hub, the only industrial town of Balochistan.

He said that the package would be in addition to mega projects and normal support for the province.

The prime minister was addressing a public meeting in Hub, organized by the Pakistan Muslim League. He said no-one would be allowed to create hurdles in the way of development projects launched by the government.

Despite opposition by some elements, all development projects would be completed in the province by making use of available resources, he added. The meeting was also addressed by the party's secretary general, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, and Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf.

The prime minister said that several major projects were under completion in the province at a cost of Rs130 billion. These projects, he added, would create jobs for large numbers of youths and usher in an era of prosperity in the province.

He said that the Gwadar port and coastal highway had already been completed while work was in progress on a number of roads to lay down a communication network in Balochistan.

He said the government was working to remove the sense of deprivation among the people of the province and to bring Balochistan at par with developed areas of the country.

Referring to the agitation launched by opposition parties, Mr Aziz said there was no justification for such a movement when an elected government was functioning in the country.

He said the government wanted to work in cooperation with the opposition and to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions in the spirit of mutual understanding.

He said that the realistic approach and policies adopted by the government had earned the country a respectable status in the comity of nations, especially in the Muslim Ummah, because it was playing an important role to solve the problems faced by the Muslim world.

The prime minister said that the coalition government of the PML and its allies was working with honesty for progress and prosperity of the country. Chief Minister Jam Yousuf said that major development projects had created ample job opportunities in the province and people's standard of living had gone up.

Senator Mushahid Hussain said that the present government had strengthened parliament, democratic institutions and the independence of media.