MMA protest not to remove govt: Siraj

Staff Report

LAHORE: NWFP Senior Minister Siraj-ul-Haq said that the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s (MMA) protest movement was not to bring down the government but just to educate the masses.

“There is no word like ‘remove’ in MMA protest plan, we just want to educate the people regarding current national and international issues,” he said. On a question about NFC award, he said that NWFP was an important province of the country and the federal government should pay its due share. He said that despite all the problems, NWFP government had allocated Rs 14 billion for development projects and started many new schemes. He said that the NWFP government’s dues, worth Rs 17 billion, were due from the center, including electricity royalties. “I discussed the issue with the WAPDA chairman who had assured me that the issue would be resolved in near future”, he said.

On Kalabagh Dam, he said that it had become a political issue and those in favor or against it were not supporting the country. He stressed that the issue must be resolved through national consensus. However the senior minister complained that the effecties of Tarbala were still a burden on the NWFP government, since the federal government had not helped to resolve the issue. Mr. Siraj claimed that the MMA government had lifted the ban on jobs, having created 8500 new vacancies, which would help to reduce unemployment in the province. He said that the NWFP government was working on a project of a model hospital at the district level. He said that the coordination between government and opposition was examplary in the province, given the fact that Shariah Bill was passed unopposed. Regarding the Hisba bill, he said the draft had been sent to the governor who showed his reservations on it. Now the draft had been sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology for review,” he said.

Mr Siraj said that an Islamic system was the government’s priority and steps were being taken in that direction. To a question regarding the expansion in the provincial government, he replied that the present twelve member cabinet should be extended in the near future.

Home | National