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Summary
President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said the government was determined to speedily implement the Balochistan Empowerment Package after discussion and debate in the Parliament. He said this while presiding over a meeting of the PPP Ministers of State in the Presidency on Monday afternoon. The meeting was attended by Chaudhry Imtiaz Safdar Waraich, Sardar Salim Haider Khan, Ghulam Farid Khatia, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Rafique Ahmed Jamali, Nawabzada Malik Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Tariq Anis, Dr. Ayat Ullah Durrani, Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari, Muhammad Afzal Sandhu, Ms. Mehreen Anwar Raja and Nabil Ahmad Gabol. Briefing journalists about the meeting, spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said, The President said the PPP was a potent political force with a mass following. It was created by opposing a dictator and not under the patronage of a dictator. The President said that it is a unique political party different from other political parties in the country, the spokesperson said. The President said that the Balochistan Empowerment Package had made far reaching recommendations, the implementation of which will not only address the longstanding demands of the people but also usher in a harmonious relationship between the Province and the Federation. The President said that the Constitutional Amendments about provincial autonomy were being finalized by the Parliamentary Committee and expressed the hope that the same would be announced soon. He said that after change in the NFC award formula based on population; other criteria such as inverse population ratio, backwardness, poverty and resource generation were also being taken into consideration to redress the grievances of Balochistan and other smaller provinces, Farhatullah Babar informed journalists. The President said that after the rationalization of the royalty formula and gas development surcharge, the concept of public-private ownership would be followed in areas granted for exploration. Babar quoted the President as saying, All new mega projects to be initiated with the consent and approval of the provincial government and the federal government will immediately create 5000 jobs for Balochistan province. The Spokesperson said that the President asked the Ministers of State to fully participate in the ongoing discussion on the package in the Parliament with a view to giving it the ownership. President Zardari also discussed with the Ministers of State the political landscape of the country and advised them to gear themselves for taking the political message of the party across to the people, Babar informed. The President also inquired from the participants about their performance in their respective ministries.
