Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that local bodies election would begin in July 2005 and people should exercise their right of vote in favour of those who had strengthened the national economy, executed development schemes and put the country on the track of progress and prosperity. He said this at the groundbreaking ceremony of a two-lane bridge on river Chenab near Muzaffargarh on Saturday.
Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Ministers Shamim Siddiqui, Sikandar Hayat Bosan and Jehangir Tareen accompanied him. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan Muslim League created Pakistan under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Now it is strengthening the country under the leadership of Shujaat Hussain. He said: ""We are not rulers, but we are your 'Khadim', and our party would sweep the general elections in 2007 with overwhelming majority with the support of the masses.
He said that credit went to Engr Shahid Jamil Qureshi who got approved the project of a bridge over river Chenab. He assured the gathering that a four-lane road would be constructed by NHA between Muzaffargarh and Multan while expenditure of Muzaffargarh bypass would be borne by provincial and federal governments equally.
He said that the roads network in the country was being widened. Faisalabad motorway would be connected with Multan and Multan would be connected with Dera Ghazi Khan and Indus Highway.
He said that it was agricultural area and with timely rains ending the scarcity of water, cotton production increased to 15 million bales and now the support price of cotton has been re-fixed at Rs 975 per 40 kg.
"Similarly, we would be able to get 22 million tons wheat this year." The Prime Minister announced electrification of 100 villages of Muzaffargarh district to bring them at par with other developed areas.
He himself raised the slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad', 'Muslim League Zindabad'.
Later, he attended a lunch hosted by Ms Rabbani Khar and a reception by Abdullah Shah of Kandh Sharif (Jatoi).
Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said that people should beware of those who are wandering like vagabonds, and should not lend ears to their hue and cry.
He said that PPP was the party which dismembered the country by raising slogan of 'Udhar Tum Idhar Hum', while its founder committed a national crime by nationalising major industries, as a result of which the nation had to suffer huge losses during the past 30 years.
He said that now PPP has no place in Sindh, Balochistan or Punjab. He said that Muslim Leaguers should shed their differences and forge unity in their ranks to face the rivals and to attain victory in forthcoming local bodies' elections.
He said that the government was spending Rs 210 million on education sector in Muzaffargarh district alone, while stipends of Rs 50 million are being paid to girl students to check their dropout ratio.
The Chief Minister said: "We have distributed syllabus among the students from First to Eighth grade, and next year we would provide books to SSC level students from Class One."