JHANG, Dec 26: There will be no letup in the pressure being exerted by the government on extremist elements in the country as a result of the agreement with the MMA on a constitutional package.

This was stated by federal interior minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat while talking to newsmen at his residence in Jhang on Thursday morning.

The minister categorically denied the presence of any secret unwritten clause in the agreement to allow some relaxation to the extremist forces responsible for acts of terrorism in the country.

He said the MMA was equally hostile towards such outfits or individuals. He further said that such groups were inimical to the sovereignty and internal stability of the country and any compromise with them was unthinkable by patriotic parties or citizens of the country.

Referring to the development work in the district, the minister disclosed that government was going to launch three mega development projects on his initiative. The projects, when completed, will not only benefit his constituency or the district Jhang but the entire southern and central Punjab.

Giving details of the projects, the minister said that the first project, work on which was in progress at great pace, was the interchange on M3 at Sial More and a 100km two-lane road linking the interchange with Jhang Sadar through Kandimal, Ahmadnagar, Lalian, Bara Shah Jewna and Chund Bharwana. The Chiniot city and Chenab Nagar town of Jhang district and Sillanwali and Shah Nikdar towns of Sargodha along with scores of villages will also benefit from the interchange and the road.

The second project identified by the minister, was a road bridge on Chenab 15km from Jhang on the Multan-Jhang-Sargodha Road near Chund Bharwana at a cost of Rs650 million. As much as Rs100 million has already been released to the National Highways Authority and work shall soon be underway on the project. On completion of the bridge, the distance between Multan and Islamabad will be reduced by 100km making it the shortest route between the south and the north.

The third mega project cited by the minister was construction of the proposed motorway project through Jhang district. The road between Faisalabad and Multan will pass through Jhang and Shorkot tehsils running close to the two cities.

BURNT ALIVE: A young man was burnt to death by unidentified people at Pirkot Sadhana in the Massan Police Station area, 40km from here, on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the FIR lodged by his brother, the deceased, Aslam, was sleeping in a tubewell-engine room outside the village.