February 20, 2006	Monday	Muharram 21, 1427

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LAHORE, Feb 19: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Sunday said peaceful protest against blasphemous caricatures was the right of every citizen but the government could not allow advancement of political agenda in the name of religion.

He was speaking to nazims and councillors of various Lahore towns and unions here. Ministers Raja Basharat, Chaudhry Zaheeruddin and Lahore Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood also spoke on the occasion.

Chief minister’s son Moonis Elahi, minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, PML Lahore President Mian Munir Ahmad, Senator Kamil Ali Agha and women activists of the party were also present.

Mr Elahi said the cartoons had hurt the feelings of everyone and these must be condemned in the strongest words. But, he said, those indulging in violence, damaging public or private property in the name of religion, were not country’s well wishers. In fact they wanted to hamper the progress of the country and they would not be allowed to achieve their designs, he said.

He said under the local government system powers were being transferred to the grassroots level, and it was being successfully run by the PML government. The government would give maximum funds to the local government representatives so that they could continue with the development process, he added.

He said the government had initiated the Lahore Ring Road Project, ensuring the opening of new avenues of progress in the province. The project was providing jobs to thousands of people and would be completed next year.

Huge funds were being spent on providing clean drinking water to Lahore’s population and improving the city’s sewerage system, he said, urging the local government representatives to have all the development projects completed without any delay.

The chief minister said the Muslim League had created Pakistan and now it was struggling to strengthen it. “Every minister sits in the Muslim League House once a week to listen to the people’s problems. Similarly, the local government representatives must also open party offices in their respective localities so as to maintain a close liaison with the people,” he said.

He said two unions of each town showing maximum number of basic party membership units would be declared model UCs and given extra funds.

Chaudhry Zaheer Khan said reforms were being introduced in every sector under the leadership of the chief minister. He said chief minister’s repeated relief-related visits to the quake-hit areas had helped create goodwill about Punjab among the NWFP people.

Raja Basharat said the government was running the best public welfare programme under the guidance of the chief minister.

Mian Amer said the provincial government was running the district government system in the best possible manner, and “we will strengthen the party as a worker of the chief minister”.

Healthcare: Multan Nishtar Hospital’s Board of Management Chairman Jalaluddin Roomi called on Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi here on Sunday and discussed with him provision of health facilities in southern Punjab under the public-private partnership.

The chief minister informed Mr Roomi that the pace of social development in southern Punjab had been accelerated and many projects launched there to improve the socio-economic condition of the people.

He said huge funds were being spent under a major programme to provide modern health facilities to the people of southern Punjab for the first time in the history of the province.

He said a world standard institute of cardiology was being established in Multan, the centre of the south Punjab. Services of world renowned heart specialists had been hired for the institute.

The chief minister appreciated efforts of Mr Roomi regarding the provision of modern health facilities in the region through the concept of public-private partnership.

Mr Roomi said the cardiology, children and other wards in the Nishtar Hospital were being expanded and upgraded through public-private partnership. The first dialysis centre of the southern Punjab was also being established in the hospital under the same arrangement.

The Fatima Jinnah Gynaecology Hospital was also being established in Multan at a cost of Rs16.8 million, he said.

Industrialist and community leader Khwaja Muhammad Masood said revolutionary steps were being taken to strengthen industrial sector in southern Punjab. The business community of the region had played an important role for relief and rehabilitation of the earthquake-hit people.