ISLAMABAD, April 29 The government will provide more funds to boost economic activities and improve law and order in Balochistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday.

Talking to a delegation of the Zamindar Action Committee, he said “The government will allocate more funds for revamping the law and order in Balochistan by strengthening law enforcement agencies and building their capacity. The salary package for the provincial police will be enhanced and will be brought at par with the Punjab police.”

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani also attended the meeting.

The delegation submitted a number of demands to Mr Gilani.

President Asif Ali Zardari has already announced that the government wants to address all provincial issues, including security and terrorism, by removing grievances. A source close to the president said that the government wanted to mitigate grievances of all groups and was ready to accept their demands, like the recovery of missing people and the removal of security forces' check-posts. The Balochistan chief minister apprised the meeting about the pace of development in the province.

“A special group of federal government officers is being formed. The group will get incentives and be sent on special assignments in Balochistan,” an official handout quoted the prime minister as saying.

Mr Gilani said that the government “will take action to remove the sense of deprivation in the province”.

“Balochistan's share in federal funds will be increased and money will be provided for building dams and rehabilitating internally-displaced people. The development package for Balochistan will envision better health and education services and provision of clean drinking water,” Prime Minister Gilani said.

He accepted the delegation's request for restoring 1,747 permanently disconnected tube-wells and said the federal government would bear the cost.

The prime minister said that the province's energy needs will be addressed on priority basis.

He formed a committee, headed by the adviser on finance, for reassessing Rs6 billion agricultural loans borrowed by 10,000 small farmers.

Balochistan Minister for Finance Mohammad Asim Kurd, Minister for Revenue Zamrak Khan, Minister for PHED Maulana Abdul Bari, Minister for Food Haji Ali Madad Jattak and Minister for Information Younus Mullazai also attended the meeting.