GILGIT, July 5: The Northern Areas will get the royalty of Diamer-Bhasha dam, says President General Pervez Musharraf.

He was addressing a public gathering here on Wednesday at the end of his three-day visit to the area.

President Musharraf said that he could not take part in elections because he was a military man but if people wished him to remain in power, they should lend support to the ruling PML.

(According to Online news agency, he said: “I cannot contest the elections because I am a soldier. But if people want my leadership, they should cast vote in favour of my supporters. The day people withdraw their support, I will quit the corridors of power.”)

The president said the government had, over the past years, increased the allocation for the Northern Areas from Rs800 million to Rs4 billion.

“We are committing more resources for rapid development of the region and local people will benefit enormously from the overall progress and our vision of providing access to China and Central Asian states through the Northern Areas,” he said amid applause from the gathering. Members of the NA Legislative Council also attended the meeting.

The president said that the introduction of information technology facilities, establishment of Karakoram International University and other projects would help bring the Northern Areas into the mainstream of national development.

“We will use more resources for your progress and allocate more funds than your share. We are committed to bring the Northern Areas and Balochistan on a par with the developed parts of Pakistan and compensate for the past neglect,” he said.

President Musharraf asked the people to support the government in its efforts to curb extremism and terrorism and said that their eradication was imperative for progress.

He also urged the people to foster tolerance, unity and sectarian harmony.

“I ask you to pledge today that you will forge unity and live like brothers and shun any discord on sectarian lines,” said the president as people raised their hands to pledge unity and brotherhood.

He said that the government was working to set up a network of roads and open up more links with the rest of the country, adding that it was also endeavouring to build road and rail links with China and Central Asian states to boost trade and tourism.

The government, he said, was also working to link the country with the Middle East.

Apart from building the Skarud-Deosai, Shandur-Chitral, Chilas-Babusar-Kaghan roads, the president said, the Karakoram Highway was also being upgraded to end the region’s isolation.

He said that the region would get cellular phone facility in a couple of months and modern aircraft would fly on the Gilgit-Islamabad route. The national carrier’s fleet of outdated Fokker planes would be grounded.

Referring to the power shortage in the area, the president said that work on the Bashu hydel project in Baltistan would be taken up soon, besides the Rs6bn 83MW Phander hydel project in Ghizer district to meet the local electricity needs.

The president also announceda plan to set up a 200-bed hospital in Gilgit and a Rs50 million grant for the KIU.

Due to the strict precautionary measures, security personnel sent back thousands of people who were trying to go to the venue of the public meeting.