LAHORE, May 15: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Tuesday that the 2007-08 budget would have enough for the betterment of poor segments of society.

“The allocation of more funds for development projects will generate more jobs and elevate socio-economic condition of the poor strata of society," he said, while speaking at the LCCI Achievement Awards-2007 ceremony held at the Governor's House here on Tuesday evening.

The prime minister said that Pakistan's per capita income was all set to rise to $950 by the end of current fiscal year from $846.

"Hopefully, it will cross the mark of $1000 next year, enabling the country to join the group of countries with better income," he said.—APP

Shamim-ur-Rehman adds from Karachi: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz flew into Karachi late Tuesday night on a “damage control mission” after the May 12 bloodbath in the city and went into informal consultations with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim at the Governor’s House.

Mr Aziz came to Karachi to salvage the uneasy coalition despite the loss of many lives in a suicide bomb blast in Peshawar. The ruling coalition’s priority was obvious.

The prime minister, who is accompanied by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani and Salim Saifullah, took stock of the evolving law and order situation in the province, especially in the city, and the simmering ethnic tension after May 12.

Prime Minister Aziz will have further meetings on Wednesday morning.

His meeting here took place after the ruling coalition’s meeting at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad in which Gen Musharraf is reported to have directed the ruling PML leadership to take along the MQM despite some objections raised by some vocal PML leaders.

Observers said the visit indicated that the ruling coalition was more politically hurt by the blood letting, than the opposition parties