LAKKI MARWAT, June 15: Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Salim Saifullah Khan on Friday said that due to prudent economic policies of the government, the volume of foreign reserves swelled to a considerable level making the country a donor state, instead of aid recipient.

Speaking at a ceremony held to inaugurate work on a project for electrification of Qabool Khel and Kara Nadar Khel areas of the Samandari union council on Friday, he said President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had put the country on the development track and a web of development schemes had been laid in every nook and corner of the country.

He said the electrification project would cost up to Rs6.5 million.

Salim Saifullah Khan said the federal government wanted development of the country and in the new budget incentives for all segments of society had been announced.

He said the government had reserved billions of rupees to be paid as subsidy on prices of edible goods for provision of the commodity at controlled rates to people. The minister said some anti-state elements were creating hurdles in development programmes of the government.

He said in the prevailing circumstances the nation should exhibit exemplary unity and strengthen the government for making the country stronger and stable.

Expressing concern over law and order in the NWFP, the minister urged the Pakhtun elders to work jointly for formulating a strategy in this connection.—APP