RAWALPINDI, June 3: President Gen Pervez Musharraf here on Tuesday reiterated his resolve to protect the system of local governance, saying all threats to the system would be foiled.

He said this while talking to the Rawalpindi district Nazim, Raja Tariq Kiani. The President made an unscheduled visit to the Nazim Office and remained there for around one-and-a-half hours.

The move by the President is being seen as an attempt to convey the message to all concerned that he remains fully committed to and involved with the system.

Gen Musharraf said he would meet the district Nazims of the NWFP in Kohat on June 10 to resolve the situation arising out of their resignation. The President is due to visit Kohat for the inauguration of the Kohat tunnel.

Gen Musharraf told Mr Kiani that the system of local governance had come to stay, adding that the system was effective and had attained its targets to a large extent. The system, he added, was beneficial to the common man whose problems were being solved at his doorsteps.

He said the Nazims should continue to work with full zeal and enthusiasm. Everyone associated with the system should work for its improvement, he added.

The President told the Nazim that interaction with the Madaris was being enhanced to bring their graduates into the mainstream rather than producing bigots. He said the religious seminaries should keep their graduates abreast with modern developments so that high-class scholars are produced in the country.

President Musharraf said the district governments should take practical steps and move rapidly towards the adoption of e-governance for triple-benefit of developing sound database, increasing the masses’ access to the government and creating more job opportunities.

Later, Gen Musharraf briefly spoke to the executive district officers (EDOs), district police officer (DPO) and other senior officials of the district government.