New constitutional package for northern areas coming soon: Kaira

[Naveed Yaseen]

* KANA minister visits assassinated NALA deputy speaker’s family
SKARDU: A new constitutional package for the Northern Areas will be announced soon in line with the desires of the people of the area, Kashmir Affairs and

Northern Areas (KANA) Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday.

Addressing a big public meeting during his visit to Skardu, he said a financial package would be announced and the funds for mega development schemes would be provided under the Public Sector Development Programme.

As part of such efforts, all sections of the society had been consulted to successfully perform the task, the minister said.

He announced a special package for the development of Skardu and added that a Karakuram University campus would be established in the area soon.

He said that terrorism would be eliminated from the country and the government's writ would be restored at all costs. The minister said that the military operation against the Taliban in Malakand division would be completed soon.

During a meeting with the local press, the minister announced to allot residential plots for local journalists and directed the chief secretary to look after the affairs in this regard.

Paying respects: Earlier, the minister visited the residence of Northern Areas Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Syed Asad Zaidi who was assassinated on April 20 in Gilgit.

He condoled with the family of the late deputy speaker including his brother and sons and presented a cheque worth Rs 1.5 million to them.

He assured provision of free education to the late Asad Zaidi's sons.

The federal minister inaugurated a 10-bed hospital at Gamba near Skardu Airport, where he announced to create a new tehsil. The mnister expressed his appreciation for the constructive role of Pakistan People’s Party General Secretary Syed Mehdi Shah in solving the problems of the area’s population. app

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