Poverty, jobs and inflation govt�s focus: Pakistan President

President General Pervez Musharraf said that the country�s economy had stabilised and he was poised to focus on the major issues of reducing poverty, creating jobs and controlling inflation.

�I am going to give my vision for Pakistan in an address to the nation soon,� declared the president while inaugurating the Rs 5.954 billion K-III additional 100-MGD water supply project for Karachi.

The president termed terrorism and extremism as �Pakistan�s biggest enemies�. �Both these menaces are harmful for Pakistan and need to be eliminated,� he said. He also condoled the Nishtar Park tragedy.

Musharraf said the Pakistan Public Sector Development Programme used to be only Rs 92 to Rs 95 billion and had grown to Rs 250 billion. �The money will be spent on development projects to lead the people to prosperity,� he said. Every house would have electricity, drinking water and natural gas by December 2007 under Vision Pakistan, he added. �I can say with great pride that the projects which I launched in 2000 are now reaching completion and their fruits are reaching the people at the grassroots level.�

The president said that a strategy had been formulated to achieve this objective, and he was working 15 to 16 hours daily to ensure work. �The government initiated projects of Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) and RBOD to tackle water problems,� he said. Water filtration plants would be installed in every village with a population of around 1,000 people by December 2007, he added.

Musharraf said people living in Sindh�s rural areas would get an abundant supply of gas and electricity. He also praised Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Karachi Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal for their cooperation in the water project. He highlighted that the city government had plugged leaks and saved 33 percent of water previously being wasted. The government would root out the �tanker mafia� which was exploiting the situation and making money because of the water shortage, he added.

Musharraf said that work on Mirani Dam had been launched four years back and would be inaugurated by him in September, 2006. �The Mirani Dam will irrigate 35,000 acres of land besides helping in fish production and bring prosperity to the area,� he said. Mangla Dam was also being raised by 30 feet at a cost of Rs 50 to 60 billion and would store 2.9 million acres feet of water which would equal half of Tarbela Dam�s storage capacity, he added.

The president will inaugurate the Marble City Project in Hub today (Monday). Hub Marble City will include setting up new industrial units meant to cut and polish marble to make it import quality.

Source: The Daily More

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