ISLAMABAD, April 21: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has asked the lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League to focus their activities on preparations to win the local bodies polls which are a few months away and also to work hard to gain ground for the general elections scheduled for 2007.

He was speaking at a meting of the parliamentary party of the PML at Prime Minister house on Thursday. Earlier, Minister for Information Sheikh Rashid Ahmed gave a briefing on the recent visit of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to India.

He said the president’s successful visit had given a fillip to the efforts to create a better environment and peace in the region.

However, he said the president in his visit had reiterated the desire for meaningful progress in the ongoing dialogue process by giving priority to resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

The prime minister said the PML parliamentarians should reach out to the people to apprise them of the rationale of the government policies and its achievements.

He said the local bodies polls would be held in a few months for which concerted efforts should be made to benefit from the achievements made by the government.

Mr Aziz said he would hold regular meetings with the representatives of the people so that democratic institutions could be strengthened.

He said the government had chalked out an ambitious plan for improving standard of living of the people and its Khushaal Pakistan programme would cover the entire country and include projects related to water, gas, electricity and roads.

He urged the parliamentarians to focus on the betterment and welfare of their constituencies and said he would personally undertake a tour of the country to monitor and supervise the development projects launched under the Khushaal Pakistan programme.

He claimed the fruits of macro economic stability and economic growth had started reaching the common man, which could be gauged from a rise in the demand/sale of automobiles and an increase in the number of subscribers of cellular phones.