RAWALPINDI, June 1: President General Pervez Musharraf on Thursday discussed the ruling Pakistan Muslim League’s strategy for the 2007 elections and the prevailing political situation in a meeting with leaders of the party.
The meeting was attended by the party’s president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, secretary general Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and MPs and nazims of different districts of Punjab.
During the meeting, President Musharraf is reported to have pledged to introduce relief measures for the poor in the national budget, which will be unveiled on June 5.
The president said the government was aware of the high rate of inflation and would take the required measures to control the price hike.
“The government wants to ease inflationary pressure on the common man,” the president was quoted as telling the meeting. He said this would be possible if the rates of essential items were subsidised.
He said the government had been striving hard to control prices by ensuring enough supply of items through imports.
The president called upon local governments to come forward and launch target-oriented development projects to ensure poverty alleviation and welfare of the poor masses.
He directed nazims to initiate in their respective areas development works, through which more job opportunities could be created.
The nazims were asked to ensure proper monitoring and utilisation of funds so that socio-economic uplift projects could be completed in time.
“Basic needs like safe water, natural gas, electricity and medical coverage will be provided to the common people by 2007,” he said.
The meeting was informed that a record Rs415 billion would be proposed in the federal budget for development during the next financial year.
He said the country had been able to reduce poverty from over 34 per cent to 23.9 per cent but noted that a lot remained to be done to bring all areas into the mainstream of development and raise the quality of life in far-flung areas. —PPI
Online adds: President Musharraf has said that the train of democracy is on track in the country and vowed that it could never be derailed.
Sources said that nazims apprised the president about the performance of local governments system, development programmes and law and order situation in their respective districts.
