[Pakistan] Era of nepotism, corruption, poverty not to be allowed to revive again: Musharraf

From Online International News

ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf vowed that era of corruption, nepotism and poverty would never be allowed to revive again terming the PML as the party of poor segment of society.

"Muslim League is the platform for poor section of society and the poor masses will have to organize it," Musharraf expressed these remarks while addressing various traders associations led by Information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad at Army House Rawalpindi Thursday.

Sheikh Rashid presented check worth Rs. 21 million to President Musharraf for the relief and rehabilitation of quake affectees. It may be recalled that that amount was collected by Sheikh Rashid Ahmad during his "Jholey Pehlawoo Muhim" to collect money for quake affectees.

Hailing the spirit of poor segment of Rawalpindi, Musharraf said, "today I am feeling jubilation as the poor people contributed for the quake relief fund with their hard earned money."

Referring to growing poverty, he maintained that government had initiated multifaceted projects, which completion would help arrest poverty.

To what extent the problems of Rawalpindi is concerned, he informed Sheikh Rashid Ahmad apprising him time and again about the problems of Rawalpindi and "I have approved whatever Sheikh Rashid demanded for the development of Rawalpindi."

"Sheikh Rashid is a popular leader in real sense and he has been playing active role for the development of Rawalpindi," he underlined.

He underscored that PML should be made organized political force of the country so as to ensure thumping victory in the forthcoming general elections in 2007. "It has our long-standing desire that overseas Pakistanis should to exercise franchise in the next elections," he added.

"During the past six years Pakistan has faced challenges at multidimensional aspect and have faced these challenges with courage and rather pursued the policy of reforms and we have stabilize democracy in the country," he noted.

On this occasion, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad apprised Musharraf of problems of the city, which the President assured the information minister to be resolved on priority basis.