Prime Minister (PM) Raja Pervez Ashraf on Sunday announced a special assistance of Rs. 20 million for each member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly for development projects in their respective constituencies. He also directed the Ministry of Finance for prompt release of these funds. The PM made these announcements in a meeting with members of Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who called on him at the Prime Minister House. He paid rich tribute to the people, law enforcement agencies and legislators of KP for their courageous role in the war against terror. The PM said that the nation owed much to the sacrifices rendered by them. He assured them that the federal government would extend all possible assistance to the provincial government in its efforts to develop, and work for, the welfare of the people of province. The PM further said that the strengthening of democratic institutions and norms in the country owed much to President Zardari’s wisdom, patience and love for Pakistan. His resolute slogan of “Pakistan Khappay” at a time when the great leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was martyred and the country was about to enter a transitional period from dictatorship to democracy, will always be written in golden words, he added. Ashraf also said that reconciliation, promotion of tolerance and strengthening of democratic institutions were policies pursued by the present government from day one. Political stability and continuity are critical for overall progress and prosperity of the country, said Ashraf. He rejected various sample surveys highlighted in the media and commented that such surveys, based on a few thousand people, could not form a valid basis for measuring popularity of any political party in a country. Those who subscribed to such surveys were now saddened by their lowered ratings, he remarked. The PM said that the PPP being the only federal level party was twice put to test for electing a chief executive of the country. PPP, he further remarked, contested and won several by-elections despite being opposed by the combined opposition. This, he said, was the true test of popularity. The PM said that he took pride in being a worker of the PPP and assured the KP legislators of his support in their endeavours to solve people’s problems. “I am one of you and together we will work for the welfare of people of Pakistan,” said Ashraf. Congratulating the new provincial PPP President Anwar Saifullah Khan, the PM expressed hope that under his leadership, the party organization would be further strengthened and streamlined to reach the people and resolve their issues.
