May 6, 2006	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 7, 1427

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GILGIT, May 5: A proposal to restore regional offices of the Zarai Tarraqiyati Bank and House Building Finance Corporation would be considered, chief executive and federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Tahir Iqbal said.

The minister was talking to a delegation of local ruling PML leaders, who had called on him here on Friday.

Offices of these two government finance institutions had recently been shifted to Abbottabad.

The delegation included Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Abdul Wahid, Mohammad Aslam and Basheer Ahmed Khan.

The minister said that the demand to write off small farming loans and the proposal to restore the Gilgit Compensatory Allowance amounting to Rs450 per month to 22,000 government employees in the Northern Areas would also be taken up at proper forums.

The minister said that the party would soon be restructured in the region, adding that development schemes would be carried out in consultation with local PML leaders and public representatives.

The minister ruled out a coalition government in the Northern Areas and said that the ruling PML enjoyed a majority in the Northern Areas Legislative Council.

The minister is on a two-day visit to Gilgit.

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