KARACHI, July 4: Chief Minister Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has appealed to the people of Thar to prove their political prudence by electing Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz unopposed in the by-polls for the NA-229 seat.

He was speaking at a large public gathering in Tharparkar here on Sunday during his first tour of the area after assuming the charge of the office of the chief minister of Sindh.

Dr Arbab Rahim said that President Gen Musharraf had reposed trust in him and the people of Thar by sending Shaukat Aziz to contest the NA-229 seat, adding that they should not break the president's trust.

The Sindh chief minister asked the opposition parties to cooperate with the government in improving the standard of life in Thar and work for the development of the area.

He announced that coal-fired power plants would start operating by January 2005, adding that they would help generate a large number of jobs besides reducing the prevalent poverty in the area.

He said that projects would soon be initiated to electrify villages surrounding grid stations, adding that supply of natural gas would also be ensured in Sindh's remote rural areas.

Dr Arbab Rahim presented a review of the development works undertaken in Thar during President Musharraf's tenure and expressed the hope that the area would be among the country's highly developed areas after the prime minister's election from the area. -PPI