ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Acting chairman Senate Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali has directed the departments concerned to complete the ongoing projects ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

He said the government was attaching high priority to public welfare projects particularly those relating to health, education, telecommunication, gas, water and power and infrastructure development. He said the completion of these projects would bring a new era of progress and prosperity in the country.

He made these observations while presiding over a meeting held to review the implementation status of the ongoing development schemes in Balochistan, particularly in Usta Mohammad.

Mr Jamali said the ultimate objective of the fast-track development schemes was to bring the under-developed areas of the country at par with the developed ones. Billions of rupees are being spent on projects executed under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme and other schemes.

He said development projects had never been undertaken at such a huge scale in the country’s history, adding that the keen interest taken by Gen Pervez Musharraf in the development of Balochistan had accelerated the pace of development to an unprecedented level.

He expressed the confidence that the whole area would undergo a complete transformation within a couple of years.

The meeting was also attended, among others, by the representatives of the public health engineering, revenue departments; ZTBL, Wapda and livestock division.