OKARA, Jan 29: President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday announced that the nation would soon have 'good news' about the construction of large water reservoirs in the country.

Addressing a largely-attended public meeting here, the president called upon the moderate forces to unite to defeat the designs of extremist elements, who wanted to derail Pakistan from the path of progress.

He said reservoirs were imperative as they provided lifeline to the country's development. The nation, he added, would shortly have good news on the construction of large water reservoirs.

Reiterating the government's resolve to continue economic policies, he said these policies were yielding positive results. Projects like brick-lining of watercourses, raising the Mangla Dam's height, boom in the construction sector and rapid expansion in the industrial sector had helped provide jobs to hundreds of thousands of people.

About extremism, the president said: "The time demands that all moderate forces make concerted efforts to curb extremism, which is a major challenge confronting the nation when it is moving forward on the path of sustainable development and democracy."

He vowed that efforts would be made to check price-hike, reduce poverty and create more employment opportunities.

"Nobody will be able to retard Pakistan's progress. We all shall collectively confront the forces that will try to impede the country's development," he said.

"People should join hands with the government in the fight against extremism. The great religion of Islam stands for moderation. We should oppose those elements who spread hatred and discord... we should practice real values of Islam and foster love, unity and brotherhood."

Gen Musharraf said that a majority of Pakistanis wanted to pursue a moderate and enlightened path for development and prosperity and they were opposed to retrogressive approach and backwardness.

Referring to the democratic system, he said the government had laid a firm foundation for sustainable democracy and added that governments would complete their terms.

He referred to the local government system, saying the government had devolved financial and administrative powers to people at the grassroots so that they could devise policies for the development of their areas.

About various uplift projects launched in Punjab, he said provincial governments could now spend money on the welfare of their people.

"Your development and prosperity is my priority and your prosperity is linked with the prosperity of the country. Having achieved the economic turnaround, the government is now focused on reducing poverty in both rural and urban areas," the president declared.

The agricultural loans, he observed, had registered a sharp increase as the annual credit had gone up to Rs80 billion. He mentioned the Rs66 billion brick-lining project, saying the improved watercourses across the country would help save the precious natural resource.

Gen Musharraf said that major powers "seek and listen to our views now and Pakistan is a country capable of playing a lead role in the Islamic world".

He said that Pakistan was the first country that had said goodbye to the International Monetary Fund and did not even take the last tranche of the Poverty Reduction Growth Facility programme.

The president, who had earlier laid the foundation-stone of a cadet college in Okara, announced a number of projects for the area, including the construction of a railway underpass, a bridge over Ravi near Syedwallah, rehabilitation of the LBDC and establishment of a special industrial zone.

Senior Federal Minister for Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, and Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim were also present at the public meeting.-APP