Directing sentence remission for women and aged prisoners, President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday issued directives to launch the women-friendly 'Benazir Behan Basti Program' (BBBP) for which financial support would be sought from Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP).
Later, briefing the newsmen Sindh Minister for Information, Ms Shazia Marri, said the president issued the directives while chairing a meeting at Bilawal House, attended among others by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, ministers Mazharul Haque, Ayaz Soomro, Zulfiqar Mirza, Siraj Durrani, Shazia Marri, Murad Ali Shah, Ali Nawaz Shah, Manzoor Wasan, Mehtab Dahar.
The women holding Benazir Income Support Program cards would be given the government land to construct houses under BBBP, the president said adding that FoDP's help would be sought for financing the program.
Stressing the need to adopt the drip and sprinkler irrigation methods, the president said a meeting of Wapda and all provincial irrigation departments would be held to prepare a comprehensive strategy for the lining of canals to improve the overall irrigation network.
The president also directed that each district must have a separate area for pilot training program of drip and sprinkler irrigation. The meeting also discussed ways to provide the police with housing facilities on the lands adjacent to the police stations. Issuing directives for the development of additional barracks across the country, Zardari asked the concerned quarters to enlist all those prisoners who were ageing above 70 years and women with minor children and were not involved in heinous/anti-state crimes for remitting their terms of sentence.
The meeting also reviewed various uplift programs for Lyari with the president ordering that Cardio Vascular Unit in Lyari General Hospital be made functional and a Nursing Training Centre and hostel be set up in the least developed town the earliest. The president also directed construction of a park and establishment of Lyari University on at least 1000 acres of land on Mauripur Road that would soon be vacated from the truck drivers who have set up a stand there.