LAHORE, March 29: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday approved the construction of Bab-i-Pakistan on Walton Road, a monument being built to commemorate the sacrifices rendered by the Muslims of the subcontinent during their struggle for a separate homeland for themselves.

The president gave the approval for the project after a briefing on it at the Governor's House. He directed the officials concerned that all the hurdles in the way of the completion of the project be removed and work be started within this year.

Governor Khalid Maqbool, Corps Commander Lt-Gen Shahid Aziz and senior government officials attended the briefing. The salient features of the project include a monument, park, library, auditorium, mosque, shopping complex, restaurants, amphitheatre, jogging and bicycle tracks, play place for children and a theme park.

The president also agreed that the federal government would fund the project to fill gap in the estimated project cost and finances available for it. He was of the view that such projects and monuments should also be built in other parts of the country.

Earlier, Gen Musharraf informed armed forces officers at a meeting at the Corps Headquarters that a handful of extremists would not be allowed to play with the fate of the country.

"Measures have been taken to curb extremism and arrest extremists and their harbourers who are involved in providing them sanctuary." The president was greeted by Corps Commander Lt-Gen Shahid Aziz when he arrived at the Corps Headquarters.

He also discussed matters of professional interest with the corps commander during his stay at the headquarters. "Pakistan had the potential to rise as a developed and progressive nation of the world.

In order to claim our rightful place in the comity of nations, we need to put our act together and make Pakistan a modern and dynamic Islamic welfare state," he was quoted by an ISPR release.