|
|
|
| December 19, 2005 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 16, 1426 |
Musharraf to visit all provinces for dams
LAHORE, Dec 18: Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed says President Pervez Musharraf will visit all provinces in the near future to highlight the need for more water reservoirs for the country, Kalabagh and Bhasha dams in particular, and address their reservations about Kalabagh.
At a news conference here on Sunday, he said the government was considering to build four dams, including Kalabagh, Bhasha, Munda and Zakori, depending upon the availability of resources. The dams, he said, wouldbring about economic revolution in the country. He said the ruling PML fully backed the president’s views about dams.
He said Sindh was opposing Kalabagh dam because the previous government had not explained their point of view to the people of interior Sindh. Anti-Kalabagh dam rhetoric had been going on for the past several years and no one tried to present the other side of the picture, the minister said.
He hoped that people would understand the importance of the new dams once they were provided with facts.
He believed that the Sindh chief minister, the MQM and Pir Pagara would support Kalabagh dam project once the president explained its utility.
Answering a question about military operation in Balochistan, Sheikh Rashid said nobody would be allowed to work against the state. Warlords, he said, would not be permitted to carry on their activities.
As for rocket attacks during President Musharraf’s visit to Balochistan, the minister said the courageous general must be praised that he did not discontinue his visit and instead completed the mission for which he had planned the trip.
He dismissed criticism that the government had done nothing for the quake victims. He said such statements were being issued by those who had failed to visit the devastated areas, sympathize with the victims or offer even token assistance to them.
He pointed out that contrary to the opposition’s outcries, nobody in the affected areas was saying that they were not receiving aid and there were also no reports that people would die because of chilling weather.
The minister said the government was alive to the situation and it had already taken a number of steps to save the quake victims and enable them to start a normal life.
He dismissed speculations that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was encouraging the members of the ruling party’s forward bloc.
Replying to a question, he said new political alignments would be seen at the time of the 2007 general elections. He predicted that the MMA would not enjoy the kind of support that it did in the 2002 polls.
He agreed with the suggestion that the PML should form a broad-based alliance before the polls.
The information minister denied reports that the government was in contact with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He expressed similar views on a question about contacts with Ms Benazir Bhutto.
|
|
|
|
