March 29, 2006	Wednesday	Safar 28, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, March 28: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that the government is pursuing a multi-faceted strategy to improve human rights situation in the country. Talking to social worker Ansar Burney, the prime minister said the government was working for formulation and enforcement of more strict laws to check crimes like human trafficking bonded labour and drug peddling.

The government’s strategy includes legal reforms, economic improvement and awareness about social evils, he added. He said human rights violations among other factors stem from poverty, inequality and deprivation in a society.

“To address the root causes of human rights violations, the government is focusing on economic uplift of the deprived sections of society, provision of facilities of education and more opportunities to improve their financial position,” the prime minister said.

Mr Aziz said the government was also working to economically and socially empower the women and to ensure that they were not forced to join professions against their will. The law and order and human rights situation in Balochistan also came under discussion.

The prime minister said the government had allocated 54 per cent share of Khushal Pakistan Fund to Balochistan, while 30,000 more jobs were being created for the people of the province.

Diversion of development funds and completion of mega projects like Gwadar Deep Sea Port, construction of roads and dams would change the economic profile of the province, he added.

He said it was the right of common people of Balochistan to avail the benefits of these development projects and the government would ensure that few people did not monopolize resources and every district had access to development funds.

Mr Aziz appreciated the contribution made by Ansar Burney Welfare Trust in rescuing the camel jockeys and other innocent Pakistani citizens detained by foreign countries on various pretexts.