‘Boycott, resignations undemocratic attitude’

QUETTA—The Federal minister of Information and Broadcasting, Muhammad Ali Durrani has said that boycotters and those threatening to resign would be outrightly rejected by masses in the elections.
While addressing a press conference at the PTV, Quetta Centre, he announced six new TV boosters for the Balochistan Province, out of which three are already in the completion phase while the remaining three, would also start to function soon.
He also announced the allocation of 22 out of 36 grade-17 posts in PTV exclusively for Balochistan Province, and informed that 2000 youths who passed their M.A exams during 2005-06, while the youth aged 25 years of age, would be provided with jobs worth Rs. 10,000 each, in various media and other official organizations, and thus would the eradication of unemployment from the Province begin.
He said that equal development is being carried out for the northern and southern parts of the Province, while the project of Zhob railway line would be completed within a short period. He also announced the commencement of media classes in Islamabad, for which campuses have been setup in all the four provinces, including Balochistan. A university project for Gwadar has also been setup, and the development phase for the Province would thus commence in a rapid way. He said that efforts were underway to induct the “nationalist” elements into the National mainstream and government was open to dialogue with all for the sake of development of the Province. Regarding general elections, he said that the will of the masses would be exercised only through the ballot box and not by any other agitational; or coercive means. He vowed to allay all reservations and was even willing to instill foreign delegates and observers over any polling station to observe the transparency of elections.
He invited all the political parties to think on conducive and prudent lines and refrain from any agitational policy or en masse resignations, which would be severely rejected by masses, who would boycott such elements. Replying to a question, he said that the decision to maintain security personnel in the regions of Dera Bugti and Kohlu, would rest on the Provincial government, who was fully cooperating with the federal government. He said that the pressure of any new developmental projects was also felt on the Provincial government.
He said that smaller districts were allocated a direct grant of Rs 10 crore each to ease any administrative burden on the Provincial government, while the implementation of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee for Balochistan has begun.
Replying to another question about the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline, he said that only the tariff issue remained to be solved, which would be sorted out soon, and expressed his surprise at reasons for holding a series of APCs (All -Parties-Conference) by some elements.
Replying to another question, he said that despite all his impartiality, the President of Pakistan is nevertheless the representative of some political party, and President Musharraf had been elected from the PML platform. What happens to his re-elect is a constitutional issue.
He also outlined the official programme for the eradication of unemployment for which the government has allocated Rs 110 billion worth of self-employment scheme, which processes each application within 24 days, but the government’s focus was chiefly Balochistan and Gwadar, for which a vast network of link roads and railways are at top priority.
Replying to another question, he said that Government would assure the protection and integrity of Balochi journalists for which the government has held many dialogues with APNS and APNE. He said that 13 heirs of dead PTV employees have been inducted in the organization, besides allocating further posts of three light men, 3 camera men and 20 associate engineers.—Agencies