'Another milestone of peoples govt

Our Staff Reporter BAHAWALPUR - PPP Bahawalpur District Secretary Information Muhammad Saleem Bhatti has said that by the completion of the process of devolution of powers under the 18th Amendment of the Constitution, the peoples government has fulfilled the vision of its martyred leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. He was addressing a public forum organised by a civil society organization PPF here Thursday. He congratulated Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and the federal cabinet on approval of the third and the last phase of the devolution of ministries and divisions to the provinces. Saleem Bhatti said that it was for the first time in the history of the country that a president of the country had voluntarily surrendered his powers to the Parliament. Similarly, for the first time that the federation had devolved its powers to the provinces to make them autonomous. He said that it was the vision of the Founder of the PPP, former Premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Shaheed) to abolish the concurrent list of the Constitution, and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto struggled for the achievement of this goal. Replying to the questions of the participants of the function, he said that with the devolution of powers, the provinces would be strengthened and the masses would be empowered and they would get relief too. Conspiracies against the democracy would be foiled with the support of the masses as the PPP had won the election in Kashmir. Saleem Bhatti congratulated President Asif Zardari on this overwhelming success. He remarked that some political elements were trying to create hurdles in the democratic process for their personal gains, but they would never succeed in their ulterior motives as the democracy had been restored with the sacrifices of the PPP leadership and workers and the PPP-led government had focused on strengthening democratic institutions and promotion of democracy at grass-roots level. BAC awards folk singer, poet: The Bahawalpur Arts Council (BAC) has awarded cash prizes and certificates to eminent female folk singer Hassina Khanum, veteran journalist Mirza Naeem Akhter, Poet Zahoor Asim and a writer Nasir Husani for their remarkable contribution in their respective fields at a function held here at the Bahawalpur Arts Council. Prominent politician and literary figure of the area and former MPA Syed Tabish Alvri was the chief guest on the occasion while the new and outgoing Resident Directors of the Bahawalpur Arts Council, Hussain Lakhwera and Riazul Haq Bhatti assured on the occasion that Bahawalpur Arts Council would continue to promote the local culture, art and literature at every forum and serve/care the people belonged from these fields with proven track.