January 27, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 17, 1429

KASUR, Jan 26: Former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri has said that it was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that minorities have been granted the right of joint electorate beside the oppressed, poor and womenfolk have been elevated to fulfil the dream of Quaid-i-Azam regarding the united yet stronger Pakistan.

He was addressing a meeting of around 250 Christians and their pastors of Union Council-15 at a local hotel here on Saturday.

There are around 10,000 Christian voters registered in the constituency NA-140 where another former foreign ministers, Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali, is contesting against Kasuri from the platform of Pakistan People’s Party.

Candidates for Punjab Assembly constituencies falling under NA-140, Shabir Hussain, an independent wooing for PP-179, and Sardar Ashiq Javid Dogor, a PML-Q candidate for PP-180, were also present.

Kasuri claimed that he held the support of clansmen of the four major clans - Arain, Dogar, Mavaties and Jutt - and an Ahle-Hadith leader Allama Ziaullaha Bukhari along with a significant number of his supporters also backed him to strengthen his position.

He said that he was serving the people of Kasur irrespective of their constituency, caste or creed and that was why the response he was getting in the current electioneering was surprising for his opponents.

He claimed that owing to his likely victory, his opponents had baffled and were giving statements that genuine politicians should not utter normally.

He said that due to his efforts mega projects worth Rs41.2 million including the dualisation of Depalpur-via-Khudian Road had started in the district and these projects would bring in a new era of prosperity.

He added that a by-pass project that would link Khudian with Lahore was in the pipeline.

He also took the credit of provision of sui gas to remote towns of the district and claimed that he had launched more development projects in the district during the last three years than that were undertaken during the last 60 years.