ISLAMABAD, Sept 20: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday met MMA Deputy Secretary-General Liaqat Baloch and other opposition leaders during the National Assembly session and they exchanged views on local body polls and other issues of national interest. The prime minister went to the opposition benches and talked to Mr Baloch, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Khawaja Saad Rafiq on various issues.

The opposition members apprised Mr Aziz of vindictive action taken against them by the Punjab government during the polls and arrests of several workers of their parties. Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) MNA Rafiq apprised the prime minister of action against his party workers in writing.

The prime minister assured the opposition members that neither politics of vindictiveness would be allowed nor state machinery would be used against the opposition.

He said that the third phase of the polls would be made transparent.

MNAs CALL ON PM: Meanwhile, the prime minister told a visiting delegation of MNAs that the federal government was committed to development of Fata and would ensure provision of basic facilities like water, electricity, gas, roads, health and education centres to the tribal areas.

He was talking to a delegation of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, comprising MNAs Maulana Abdul Malik and Maulana Mairajudin, who called on him at the Parliament House to discuss the prevailing situation in Fata.

The prime minister lauded the cooperation extended by the people of Fata to the administration, law enforcing agencies and the army for maintaining law and order and carrying out development projects in the area.

He said that for the first time the government had allocated unprecedented funds for the development projects in Fata and the government was committed to provide more resources to Fata so that its people could share fruits of economic growth. —-Agencies