SUKKUR June 6: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has ordered police authorities and other law- enforcement agencies to tighten security along rail tracks and of vital installations, including the Sukkur Barrage and the Lansdown Bridge.

He issued the orders following an unsuccessful bid by saboteurs to blow up rail track near Sukkur on Sunday.

Talking to newsmen here on Tuesday, he said that Sukkur was a sensitive district and saboteurs wanted to disrupt peaceful conditions in the area.

He said that such acts amounted to terrorism and police and other security agencies should take maximum security measures for people.

Sukkur DPO Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh briefed the chief minister about progress of the incident in which two people were arrested near the Arain Railway Station allegedly planting explosives on the railway track just before the arrival of Jaffer Express from Quetta.

Our Jacobabad correspondent adds: The chief minister said that the federal budget is balanced in which no tax has been levied on agriculture.

He was talking to reporters in Rojhan Jamali after offering condolence with former Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali over demise of his cousin Abdul Ghaffar Jamali.

Provincial ministers Sadaruddin Shah, Nadir Akmal Leghari and PML leader Mir Asghar Panhwar were also present on the occasion.

He lauded the prime minister for keeping record allocations for development projects in provinces.

He said that Sindh would get Rs120 billion in the next year against Rs95.144 billion of the last year.

He said that Pakistan had entered in an era of progress and prosperity and budget depicted continuity of policies and success of economic reforms launched by President Pervez Musharraf after October 12, 1999.

The chief minister said that the 2006-07 budget was aimed at changing living conditions of people who had unfortunately been neglected by past regimes.

Answering a question about Sindh’s budget, the chief minister declared it would be tax-free and maximum allocations would be made for developments in the public sector.

He said that agriculture was the backbone of Sindh’s economy and the government would give more focus for facilitating and modernising the farm sector.

He expressed satisfaction that by the grace of Allah Almighty, Sindh already had a bumper wheat crop and “we are now in a position of exporting it”.

He said that the Sindh budget had been prepared keeping in view requirements of the province.

He said that major beneficiaries in budget would be people because it would be people-friendly budget.

He said that no formula had been reached so far between the MQM and his government over job quota and he dispelled the notion and termed it baseless.

He said that jobs would be given purely on merit.

He said there would be no compromise on Sindh’s interests.

He said that the Nishtar Park incident was a tragedy and efforts were underway to nab the culprits but the incident was being termed a suicide bombing.

On jirgas, he said that the tradition was centuries-old in Sindh.

He said that he did not know recent jirga held in Thul in which five girls were handed over as compensation to so-called aggrieved party.

He said that law and order situation in Sindh was improving.

The chief minister flew to Kandhkot to condole demise of Sardar Sundar Khan Sundrani in his native village Darri.