FAISALABAD, Feb 17: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday urged the people to reject extremists in the next general elections so that the country could remain on the path of prosperity.

Addressing a public meeting at the Iqbal Stadium here, he said extremism, terrorism and sectarianism were the main hurdles in country’s progress.

President Musharraf said favourable economic indicators demonstrated rapid progress but some unscrupulous elements were against the development and creating problems. “They will be dealt with an iron hand.”

He regretted that people were divided in sects, which was against the basic spirit of Islam. Fundamentalists were damaging Islam and the country, he added.

The president said that the nation should reject such people who did not want to see a prosperous Pakistan.

Stressing the need for public support in the general elections, he said: “If you want continuity of the current policies, then cast votes in the favour of those who want to elect me.”

He criticised the former regimes and said they raised only hollow slogans to steer people out of the poverty and provide them job opportunities, but the situation remained otherwise.

They played with the sentiments of the masses in the name of democracy. However, steps taken by his government were visible which reduced the poverty rate in the country.

“Huge industrial estates were being established in different cities which will provide jobs to millions of people,” he added.

He reiterated his commitment to build the Kalabagh dam by 2016, and said construction work of the Basha dam had been started.

He announced that M-4 (Multan-Faisalabad Motorway) project would start this year, while M-1 (Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway) would be completed by the end of the current year.