PESHAWAR, March 3: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has urged the people to sink their petty differences and initiate crusade against internal and external challenges as the anti-Islamic forces are actively working to create disunity in the Muslim ranks.

"The Ummah is facing unprecedented challenges and unity is the need of the hour." He was talking to various groups of elected representatives here at the Chief Minister's Secretariat on Wednesday.

The chief minister said in the prevailing situation Muslims of the world should work out a comprehensive strategy to live with honour in the comity of nations.

These problems, he said, could be resolved amicably through unity and wisdom. Referring to the steps taken by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government for religious harmony and unity in the province, he said 50-year old dispute was resolved by allocating 28 kanals of land for Jashn-i-Nauroz Maila in Hangu district.

The state land worth millions of rupees and private land was acquired for the Maila and the dispute was resolved once and for all, he added. Mr Durrani said the government had also compensated those killed in sectarian violence during the previous governments. He called upon the elected members to give preference to collective problems over personal ones.

In the NWFP, he said, democracy existed in the real sense. Keeping in view Islamic, democratic and Pukhtun values, the MMA government, he added: "Takes along opposition and involve it in a decision-making process."

The political culture of the Frontier, he observed, was different from other parts of the country and people and elected representatives were consulted while formulating developmental schemes.

He said a traditional Pukhtun jirga "resolves all outstanding issues and those who resort to road blockade for resolution of their problems defame the present government."

Talking to the elected representatives of the Peshawar district, the chief minister directed that the developmental schemes in the area should be included in the Annual Development Plan.

Referring to the law and order in the province, he said the establishment of peaceful society was one of the priorities of the MMA government. He appreciated arrangements of the NWFP police, FC and district administration on Yaum-i-Ashur. He also urged the elected representatives to keep vigilance over the anti-social elements and pinpoint their pattern so that action could be taken against them.nat12