PM Gilani Calls To UK Minister Shahid

PAKISTAN, ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday urged the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) to ensure the ministerial level participation in the forthcoming meeting of FoDP in Istanbul to support Pakistan in reconstruction of affected areas of Malakand Division.

He said that Pakistan would be presenting a comprehensive plan for infrastructure development and provision of education and health facilities to Swat and in other areas of Malakand Division in that meeting and hoped that major countries will wholeheartedly assist Pakistan in undertaking the development work there.

The Prime Minister was talking to Shahid Malik, Minister for Community Cohesion of UK who called on him here at the PM House.

Prime Minister Gilani emphasized that his government was particularly focusing on education and health sectors and would soon be announcing a new education policy aimed at bringing the Madrassas and seminaries in the main stream educational system of the country.

He thanked the government of Britain for doubling its development assistance for Pakistan particularly for education and health sectors.

The Prime Minister also sought the British cooperation in introducing the jail reforms in Pakistan and expressed the desire to learn from the recent British experience in this regard.

Shahid Malik paid rich tributes to the government of Pakistan for resolutely taking on the militants in a very difficult situation.

He said that the British government did not consider it a war of Pakistan alone and would stand by Pakistan in its thick and thin to help it fully succeed.

The British Minister stated that people and government of UK were deeply impressed by Prime Minister Gilani’s role in forging national consensus along, in order to eliminate extremism and terrorism from the country.