May 28, 2007	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11, 1428

MUZAFFARABAD, May 27: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan on Sunday assured the affected people of the Mangla Dam extension project that the governments in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad would solve their problems.

He held out this assurance at a meeting with a representative delegation during his visit to the southern lakeside Mirpur city.

"Rest assured the rehabilitation of the affected people will be done exactly in accordance with their wishes and aspirations and the compensation package announced by the government of Pakistan. We will resolve all of their issues and give them as much relief as will take away the feelings of parting their homes and hearths," he said.

Describing Mirpur as the city of expatriates, the AJK premier said the government was planning several mega projects for the town which included construction of modern educational institutions for its young generation and an international airport in the public-private partnership.

An industrial zone spreading over 20,000 kanals of land and a dry port would also be set up in Mirpur to attract and promote investment in the region, he added.

He told the delegation that the reservations of the affected people about the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) of Pakistan were being addressed at the highest level.

"I assure you that none of the affected people will face the bitter experiences of the past," he said, referring to the woes of families evicted at the time of dam's construction in the sixties.

Sardar Attique emphatically said that all provisions of the Mangla Dam upraising agreement would be implemented in letter and in spirit.

Meanwhile, a high-level committee comprising representatives of the governments in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad would meet in Mirpur on Monday to review the progress on implementation of the package for the affected people of the Mangla Dam and the execution of the upraising project.

The meeting is likely to be attended by AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Khan, Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan and other officials.