LAHORE, May 1: Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi called on President Gen Pervez Musharraf at the Army Guest House here on Monday, says an official handout.

Matters pertaining to development projects, reforms process and national affairs came under discussion during the meeting which lasted for about two hours.

President Musharraf said that results of public welfare-oriented projects had started to become visible in Punjab and reforms process was being implemented expeditiously. He said that the government was implementing a number of programmes of public welfare. He appreciated the briefing given by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to foreign ambassadors on development programmes in the province. He said that it would help create awareness about development activities abroad which would increase foreign investment in the province resulting in beginning of a new era of prosperity in Punjab.

Chief minister Pervaiz Elahi gave a detailed briefing to the president on the political situation, law and order and ongoing uplift programmes in the province. He said that due to economic policies of President Musharraf abundant resources had become available to the provinces and these funds were being utilised for development activities in Punjab without any discrimination. He said that uplift schemes especially mega projects were being completed expeditiously in the province for raising the standard of living of the common man and available resources were being utilised in a transparent manner.

He said that a comprehensive programme of infrastructure development was being given a practical shape while solid measures were being taken for the improvement of communication system and road network in the province. He said that mega project of construction of Ring Road and the link roads would be completed by 2007 for solving traffic problems and accelerating development process.

Pervaiz Elahi said that an industrial estate was being set up at Faisalabad which would result in rapid industrialisation and generation of a large number of job opportunities. He said that huge resources were being spent for providing modern health facilities to the masses. He said that construction of a cardiac centre in Multan had been completed and services of heart specialists of international repute had also been acquired for this centre. He said that cardiac centres were also being set up in Faisalabad and Wazirabad. He said that attractive salaries and residential facilities were being offered to doctors working at rural health centres. He said that development projects were being completed in accordance with international standard of management.

The chef minister congratulated President Musharraf on laying the foundation-stone of Bhasha-Diamir Dam and said that construction of water reservoirs would result in development of agriculture sector besides generation of cheap electricity which will further strengthen national economy.