Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Sunday announced a special assistance of Rs 20 million for each member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly for development projects in their respective constituencies. He also directed the Ministry of Finance for prompt release of these funds.
The Prime Minister made these announcements in a meeting with the members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belonging to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who called on him at the Prime Minister House here.
He paid rich tribute to the people, law enforcement agencies and legislators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their courageous role in the war against terror.
The Prime Minister said that the nation owed much to the sacrifices rendered by them. He assured them that the Federal government would extend all possible assistance to the provincial government in its efforts to develop and work for the welfare of the people of the province.
The Prime Minister said strengthening of democratic institutions and norms in the country owed much to the wisdom, patience and love of President Asif Ali Zardari for Pakistan.
His resolute slogan of "Pakistan Khappay" at a time when great leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was martyred and the country was about to enter a transitional period from dictatorship to democracy, will always be written in golden words, he added.
The Prime Minister said that the politics of reconciliation, promotion of culture of tolerance and strengthening of democratic institutions were policies, which the present government pursued from the day one.
These guiding principles enabled the government to present five budgets and was now preparing for the next general elections, he added.
Political stability and continuity are critical for overall progress and prosperity of the country, said the Prime Minister.
He rejected various sample surveys highlighted in the media and said that such surveys based on few thousand people could not form a valid basis for measuring popularity of any political party in a country.
Those who subscribed to such surveys were now saddened by their lowered ratings, he remarked. Besides, it contested and won several by-elections despite being opposed by the combined opposition. This, he said, was the true test of popularity.
The Prime Minister said that he took pride in being a worker of the PPP and assured the KP legislators of his support in their endeavours to solve people's problems.
Congratulating the new provincial PPP President Anwar Saifullah Khan, the Prime Minister expressed hope that under his leadership, the party would be further strengthened and streamlined to reach the people and resolve their issues.
He also lauded the role of President Women Wing PPP Faryal Talpur MNA for her tireless efforts to reach party workers, organise them and resolve their issues in her unique way.
The meeting was attended by President Women Wing PPP Faryal Talpur MNA, Federal Minister for Political Affairs Maula Bakhsh Chandio, Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Kiramatullah Khan Chugharmati, Senior Minister Rahim Dad Khan, Provincial Health Minister Syed Zahir Ali Shah, PPP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Anwar Saifullah Khan and PPP MPAs.-PR