No Blackwater in country: PM

PESHAWAR (APP) - Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that Pukhtoonkhwa name for the NWFP was under consideration of the constitutional committee headed by Senator Raza Rabbani and expressed the confidence that the issue will be resolved amicably with the consent of all the stakeholders. Talking to mediamen here at Civil Secretariat after chairing a high-level briefing on Malakand Division, the Prime Minister said the proposed constitutional amendments to be introduced by the government would suggest consensual name for the Frontier province. He elaborated that the constitutional committee set up for the purpose has the representation of all the political parties. Moreover the Frontier Assembly had passed the resolution for renaming the province as Pukhthoonkhwa many a time in the past. Having due respect for the mandate of the provincial assembly, the government has decided to consider the name of Pukhtoonkhwa in the proposed legislation package. Speaking in the backdrop of assertions made by the PML-N Quaid who had proposed referendum for renaming the Frontier province, the Prime Minister said Nawaz Sharif was head of a political party and has his own political viewpoint. We cant impose restriction on his political thinking, he explained. Replying to a question, he said that the government has decided to register the left over 53,000 dislocated people of Malakand Division who would be provided free ration by the World Food Programme. In all around 100,000 people of Malakand were deprived of registration during initial days of the conflict of which data of 53,000 have been verified by NADRA. The WFP authorities had conditioned the provision of food to the registered IDPs, that is why, the government has decided to lift ban on registration of the Malakand IDPs. He said reconstruction of Malakand Division would be given top priority. About the payment of net hydel profit to the NWFP, the Prime Minister said it is related to NFC and the matter will be decided by the same forum in due course of time as meetings of the NFC were underway in a pleasant atmosphere. The issue of net hydel profit would be resolved amicably, he added. The Prime Minister said a special development package amounting to Rs2 billion was being prepared for Malakand Division which will be finalised in due consultation with the concerned quarters. Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said his government has already allocated Rs50 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Malakand Division that included doubling the police strength in all the districts of Malakand Division besides further strengthening the law-enforcement agencies. About the procedure of disbursement of the foreign assistance, Prime Minister Gilani said he had recently talked to the visiting US Deputy Secretary of State that all the assistance should be routed through the Ministry of Finance. The US is seriously considering our point of view in this regard, he further explained. To a question about the presence of Blackwater organisation in the country, he said, This is disinformation, no such organisation with the name of Blackwater is working in the country. About the Balochistan development package, he said it has been discussed and President Asif Zardari has approved the proposed package and InshaAllah it will be implemented with the consent of the stakeholders in the province. When asked about Frontier Governments recommendation on fasting and celebration of Eid on the same day throughout the country, the Prime Minister said he was personally in favour of it. It is a matter of regret that in the 21st century we could not determine observing fasting and Eid on one day. Earlier, the Prime Minister chaired a high-level briefing on Malakand Division wherein he was briefed about the measures taken for the rehabilitation of the affectees and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure. The briefing was given by Chairman Special Support Group Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed, Chief Secretary Javed Iqbal and Special Home Secretary Fiaz Toru. The briefing was attended by Governor NWFP Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, federal ministers, senators, provincial ministers, MNAs and MPAs belonging to Malakand Division.

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