PESHAWAR – Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has announced that the federal government would bear all the expenses of reconstruction and rehabilitation carried out in the terrorism-affected areas of NWFP along with tribal regions of the country.
He said that Rs. 50 billion have been allocated for the capacity building of NWFP and wherever needed the funds would be provided.
In his address to the office bearers of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), local traders and media persons here at the Chief MinisterÂ’s House here on Thursday, Gilani also announced waiving off loans of small farmers hailing from Malakand division that amount up to Rs 2.66 billion and announced a special package for the development of industrial estates in the province.
Governor NWFP Owais Ahmad Ghani, Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Federal Minister Najm-ud-Din Khan, Speaker NWFP Assembly Kiramatullah Khan, senior provincial ministers, members NWFP Cabinet and some of the members of the provincial assembly were also present on the occasion.
The Prime Minister that the first category areas of terror-hit areas in this regard include localities that have been hit worst by militancy, which comprise seven tribal agencies and 11 districts in NWFP namely Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Aurakzai, Kurram, South Waziristan, North Waziristan Agencies as well Malakand Agency and districts of Swat, Bunir, Shangla, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Hangu, Bannu, Tank, Kohat and Chitral.
Category two includes seven districts including Peshawar, Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Battagram, Lakki Marwat, Mardan and Swabi. Category three comprises five districts of NWFP including Nowshera, Harripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, and district Kohistan, the Prime Minister informed.
Regarding the power scarcity, the Prime Minister said that the matter could not be resolved in a short time and needed an effective strategy. If a short-term plan was made in this regard, it would take three years whereas a medium-term plan would take about ten years to solve the problem of electricity shortage in the country, he added.
He said that Rs 17.12 billion have been released for making good of the losses occurred to Malakand division in the wake of militancy.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani continued saying that tax payers of those areas included in category one and two have been extended the facility under which if they pay their due taxes including customs duty and central excise duty till 30th June 2010 then their surcharges and fines would be forgiven. Likewise all the utility bills of Malakand region were waived off from the month of May to that of December 2009. The Prime Minister said that already Rs 56 million has been announced by his Government for the affectees of Meena Bazaar blast in Peshawar and announced rupees 5 crore for ‘Shuhada trust’ as well, apart from announcing the initiation of construction of CRC canal in Dera Ismail Khan.
Yusuf Raza Gilani further said that masses have elected him for the term of five years and that constitutional tenure would be completed by his Government. He said that the he was sensitive to the fact that the country was passing through a time of trial and added that all the political parties of the country were taken into confidence whether they are within or outside the Parliament, in any decision taken by the Government.
He said that along with NWFP his Government took the decision with unity of purpose that if military action was taken, the entire nation would be behind it and it is now evident that all the nation was with NWFP though, earlier, hesitation had prevailed about whether steps should be taken against terrorism or not but now everybody including civil society were united against terrorism and militancy.
He said that it was but one of the credit of the current coalition Government that today the nation was united and in one say against terrorism and that the military action against terrorism was supported by the whole nation. The world was expressing its surprise over the successes of Pakistan against terrorism, added the Prime Minister, and continued that we told the world that 3.5 million Afghan refugees had come to Pakistan and they are still here in the country but the people of NWFP were hospitable by every mean that they also open their doors for serving their suffering brethrens from Swat and Malakand region.
The Prime Minister further said that Pakistan was a front line state in fight against terrorism while NWFP was a front line province in this regard and that said that we salute those people, leadership, police, frontier constabulary, traders that rendered sacrifices in the wake.
He said that though there was a global financial crunch, his Government sailed well and put the country out of economic crisis and said that it was but a better planning of the Government that every task was carried out with satisfaction even amidst the war against terrorism that was costing billions of rupees.
He said that the issue of net hydel profit of NWFP was resolved in his tenure, NFC award was unanimously announced that were the example of political understandings that could not be yielded by any dictatorship and were the gifts of democracy to the country.
Prime Minister claimed saying that nothing was done in the previous regime regarding coming across the power shortage and no new project in this regard was started either, saying that his Government was determined to remove both the problems of shortage of electricity and gas shortage and added that to address the shortage of water, work on construction of dams was also started.