PESHAWAR, Nov 2: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani has said the provincial government is giving top priority to education and health sectors, with a view to laying a sound foundation for future development of the province.

He was talking to various delegations of ulema, educationists, MNAs and MPAs at the Frontier House here. He said it was not wrong to invest in health and education or other social sectors, because investment in social sectors lead to the improved services to the people, which was the strategy of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government.

Mr Durrani said his government had succeeded in dismantling the walls of hatred created by politically motivated people for their personal gains. His government had put the society on peace and calm, he claimed.

The chief minister said there was no logic in the propaganda against the MMA government when it was making efforts for public welfare, development of the province, improved services in social sectors and empowerment of the people.

In education sector, he added, the government made education free up to the matric level, and it would also provide books and uniforms to the poor students up to the primary level, he added.

He said his government was going allout to revitalize the health sector and make it dynamic so that it could respond to the problems of the people.

In the first step, he said, the government had prioritized to improve secondary health care. For this purpose, the district headquarters hospital that had been categorized on population basis were being equipped with all modern equipments and facilities so that the people could avail latest health care within their district.

Mr Durrani said his government’s efforts and decisions were mainly hurting the privileged class of the society. Therefore, hue and cry on their part was understandable. “It should be clear that we are the agents of our religion and masses alone. We are proud of it and we feel no shy because our religion and our culture are our great asset that would guide us for a secured future,” he added.

The chief minister said his government had initiated radical measures to eliminate crimes as the people were supporting the government steps in cleansing the society from all sorts of criminal. “We have been able to control corruption.

The government has already initiated actions against the corrupt. We want to lay foundation of an Islamic welfare society,” he said.