Defence, economy, security top priority of govt: PM

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that his government is working to strengthen the economy, defence and security of the country.
Talking to delegation from Hassanabad here on Thursday he said PML government is striving to leave a better Pakistan for our future generations. “PML will be going to the voters during next general elections on the basis of its performance”, he said.
He said defence of the country is impregnable and we will give a befitting response if any one cast an evil eye on Pakistan. He briefed the delegation about the measures initiated by the Government to tackle the problem of price-hike and creation of new job opportunities.
He said the newly launched Rozgar Scheme is evoking great interest amongst people as one hundred and seventy-five thousand forms have already been distributed by the National Bank for small loans. He hoped that the scheme would gather momentum after Eid.
About price-hike, he said, it was for the first time that prices of essential commodities like flour, ghee, pulses and sugar did not rise during Ramzan because of the precautionary measures adopted by the Government.
He said atta is being provided at 11 rupee a kilo at utility stores, two rupee less than the open market. He said the Government has stocks of two million tonnes wheat and it would release it in necessary quantities if anyone tried to manipulate prices of the commodity.
“The government purchased six hundred thousand tonnes of sugar to stabilize its prices. He said pulses were also imported to guard against their price-hike”, he said. He urged people to work hard to improve image of Pakistan and remove misunderstandings about our great religion. He said Islam is a religion of peace and it abhors terrorism.
He said there is need for unity in the ranks of the Muslim Ummah to face the challenges of the 21st century. “The government has released 65 million rupees for developmental activities in Hassanabad. These include 25 million rupees for water supply, 10 million each for roads and sewerage, 15 million rupees for Tehsil headquarters hospital and five million rupee for a railway crossing”, he said. —SANA