News
‘$25m needed to revive environment in quake-hit areas’
CHAKWAL, Nov 14 : Federal Minister for Environment Major (Retd) Tahir Iqbal said that $25 million are needed to improve and revive the environment in the quake-hit areas.
He was talking to the newsman at his residence. He said the paperwork in this regard has been finalised and it would be presented in the International Donors Conference scheduled to be held on November 19.
Pakistan Muslim League senior vice-president Lt-Gen Abdul Majeed Malik was also present on the occasion.
The minister was confident that the $5 billion, which were required for the rehabilitation of earthquake victims would be provided by the donors agencies as the international community was convinced that the recent earthquake in Pakistan was bigger disaster than tsunami.
Replying to a question regarding the formation of the forward bloc in Pakistan Muslim League, the minister said he had rejected the offer of joining the forward bloc.
Earlier, a convention of union Nazims and Naib Nazims and members of district and Tehsil councils was held and it was presided over by PML senior vice-president Lt-Gen Abdul Majeed Malik.
While addressing the convention, Federal Minister for Environment Major (retd) Tahir Iqbal said President Pervez Musharraf had clearly directed the district and Tehsil Nazims that MNAs and MPAs should be included in the development programme of every district and the development schemes of legislators must be entertained.
Abdul Majeed Malik speaking on this occasion vowed to play his due role in the local politics and announced that the election of district Naib Nazim and four Tehsil Naib Nazims would be contested and candidates would be announced after the consultation of his group.