KARACHI, Sept 8: Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghauri on Saturday said the present assemblies would complete their full tenure, adding that the parties in the ruling coalition would contest the upcoming general elections from one platform.

Talking to journalists at the passing out parade of graduates of the 21st batch of Elite Force at the Anti-terrorism Training Centre, Razakabad, Mr Ghauri rejected the reports about Senior Federal Minister for Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal intending to contest the presidential election as “just a rumour”.

The present government’s tenure would end on Nov 15, 2007, he pointed out, and said that the ruling coalition partners had started making preparations for the forthcoming elections. They would jointly contest the polls on the basis of their performance and people would see them in rule also in future, he confidently stated.

Mr Ghauri noted that the country was facing threats of growing terrorism and extremism.

Praising performance of the Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF), the minister announced on behalf of the prime minister allocation of Rs2 million for the construction of a boundary wall of the training centre and another Rs1 million from his ministry.

Sindh Adviser on Home Affairs and IG Ziaul Hassan Khan also spoke on the occasion.—PPI