KARACHI, Aug 10: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that general elections will be held after the re-election of President General Pervez Musharraf from the present assemblies. He said that for the first time in country’s history the assemblies would complete their terms.

Talking to journalists after inaugurating the Citizen Complaint Information Management System (CCIMS), a project of the Karachi city government, here on Friday, he ruled out imposition of emergency in the country at this stage and said elections would be held on time.

In reply to a question regarding the absence of Taliban from the Pakistan-Afghan peace jirga being held in Kabul, the prime minister said that Islamabad was fully cooperating with the Afghan government for the restoration of peace, but it was Kabul’s discretion to invite any individual or group in the jirga.

He expressed the hope that the jirga would be helpful in maintaining peace in Afghanistan. Mr Aziz said the government was taking all-out measures to contain price hike in the country and it was its top priority to provide every possible facility to the masses.

City Nazim Mustafa Kamal briefed the prime minister about the CCIMS project which would start functioning from August 14. He said the project would provide jobs to 500 people.

Mr Aziz congratulated the city nazim for launching first of its kind project at the local government level in the country. The prime minister said that through this system people of Karachi could convey their problems to top functionaries.

He said the call centre would not only play a pivotal role in solving peoples’ problems, but would also open new opportunities of employment to youths of the city.

Accompanied by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad, the prime minister visited different sections of the call centre.