ATTOCK, Feb 27: Prime Minister Shuakat Aziz on Sunday announced a package of Rs1 billion for the development of the arid and backward district of Attock.

Addressing a public meeting at Bahtar village the prime minister said an international airport would be constructed in Fateh jang which would bring progress and prosperity to the area as well as to the country. The ground breaking of the Islamabad International airport will be held next month.

The prime minister said long-term and viable economic policies would be implemented for sustenance and to accelerating growth momentum, creating employment opportunities, reducing social gap, reducing poverty and improving the country's physical infrastructure. Preference would be given to education, health and agriculture sector to benefit the masses and to change their destiny, he said.

He said under the special package Rs200 million would be utilized for construction of new roads in the district, Rs100 million for rehabilitation of old roads and Rs200 million for electrification of the far-flung areas of the district.

The remaining amount of the package, the prime minister added, would be utilized for the provision of gas and potable drinking water, upgradation of all tehsil hospitals and construction of 10 small dams to enhance water resources for irrigation of arid areas of the district.

He also announced setting up of vocational training centres in five tehsils at Fatehjang, Pindigheb, Hazro, Hassanabdal and Jhand to meet the demand of skilled manpower at the government and private industrials sector, which will also help to overcome the unemployment in the district.

He said Bahtar interchange near Burhan section on Islamabad-Peshawar motorway would be constructed soon to facilitate the surrounding localities besides establishing the university of information technology in Attock.

He said special complaint cells would be set up soon in Hassanabdal and Fatehjang to redress the problems of the people of the two tehsils. The prime minister said, "we cannot change our past but can change over future with the vision and implementation of public-friendly policies".

He said recently an agreement with Malaysian government had been inked under which working visas would be provided to the Pakistanis. He added that substantial visa quota would be fixed for the people of Attock and special directive had been already issued to the ministry of Labour and Overseas Pakistanis in this regard.

He said 20,000 lady health workers (LHVs) would be appointed to provide better health facilities and vacancies of LHVs would be increased to 100,000 to provide maximum employment opportunities to women. He listed the achievement of his 10-month government and said during the period his government had undertaken various steps for the welfare of masses.

He said the government was committed to provide speedy justice to the people at their door step and very soon a bill would tabled in the parliament to bring reforms in the police and judicial systems so that the two institutions could serve the masses in effective manner.

Special attention was being given to the education sector and to increase literacy rate in the country. "We have broken the begging bowl", Mr Aziz said adding that economic sovereignty of the country has also been achieved. The loans, he said will be taken only for development purposes.