21 January 2005	Friday	10 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday paid a surprise visit to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and listened to the problems of the patients.

The prime minister directed the executive director of Pims, Dr Fazl Hadi, to make efforts for provision of better healthcare facilities to the people in the hospital.

Prime minister Aziz visited various wards of the hospital and inquired from the patients about the difficulties being faced by them in the hospital. The prime minister spent most of his time in the children's ward where he also distributed gifts among them.

When contacted, an official of the Prime Minister's House said that the prime minister did not visit the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital where a senior Kazakh diplomat, Sapargali Aubokarimov, who was shot and injured in his house in Islamabad on Wednesday, was under treatment.

He said the purpose of the prime minister's visit was only to share joys of Eid with the poor patients. Health Secretary Syed Anwar Mahmood was also present on the occasion.

APP ADDS: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday said Pakistan's culture, arts and history should be projected through promotion of tourism to project the concept of enlightened moderation in the world.

He was talking to a delegation of senators here at the Prime Minister's House. The delegation included senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, Amjad Abbas and Amin Dadabhoy.

The prime minister said Pakistan was rich in tourism, but there was a need to project this sector in a proper way. He said the government would announce a comprehensive tourism policy soon to expand the tourism sector and create job opportunities in the country. Referring to recent rain spell, he said, due to these timely rains, it was expected that the next wheat crop would be a bumper one.