ISLAMABAD, March 25: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said he favours maximum autonomy for provinces and a greater share for them in the National Finance Commission award. All this should happen for peace and harmony, the president said while responding to questions emailed to him on his website (presidentofpakistan.gov.pk) in a wide-ranging interaction with anchor-persons of Pakistani TV channels on Friday. In reply to a question about Balochistan, the president said the province was now getting more than its share. “It is getting more allocations (13 per cent) under the PSDP as compared to Punjab (nine per cent),” he said.

He pointed out that the federal government had increased the gas development surcharge, provided gas to cities and towns of the province and carried out unparalleled development activities in the past four years.

Ruling out any military operation in Balochistan, President Musharraf reiterated that the government would not allow anybody to disrupt the development process or damage important installations in the province.

“There is no military operation going on in the province nor is there any need for such an operation – there is no unrest in Balochistan as its people look forward to benefiting from the unprecedented development projects — it is only a handful of vested interests who are involved in recent acts of sabotage at a few places,” he said.

About some vested interests receiving money and possessing weapons, he said the government was trying to ascertain whether they were following their own or someone else’s agenda.

The president commended the performance of the parliamentary committee on Balochistan and wanted political dialogue to address problems.

Commenting on various suggestions about a political solution, the president said the government was focused on the development of Balochistan.

“We will do our utmost for the development of Balochistan and have already launched various development projects in the province,” he added.

The president said there was no reason for recent attacks in view of largescale development of the province.

President Musharraf said the government was fully alive to the problem of price hike, which was a fallout of both the rising international oil prices and the country’s higher economic growth rate.

He said he had asked Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the provincial governments to keep prices at minimum levels.

Pakistan, he said, would have to reduce its dependence on oil, which had already come down by 10 per cent to 60 per cent from about 70 per cent, as the country was now consuming more gas.

The higher growth rate of 6.4 per cent had strengthened the purchasing power of people which had led to increase in demand, putting pressure on supplies.

EXTREMISM: The president said that Pakistan was the only country that was addressing simultaneously the menaces of religious extremism, terrorism and sectarian extremism and terrorism.

Responding to an email, he said once Pakistan and India resolved their thorny issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the two countries should cooperate in the economic, commercial and sports fields for the well-being of their people.

“We have to resolve the Kashmir dispute, we cannot put it under the carpet,” he emphasized.

The president said it would be in Pakistan’s interest that the nation brought to the fore moderate and enlightened leadership in the 2007 elections.—APP