PESHAWAR: Speaker National Assembly, Asad Qaisar has said that providing basic amenities of life to the people was among the top most priorities of the government and the provision of Sui-gas facility to numerous households and up-gradation of communication and education sector was a great achievement of the government.

Talking to a gathering in Government Girls’ High School at Union Council Baja in Swabi on Wednesday, the NA Speaker said that education was the only means to achieve progress and prosperity. He said provision of Sui-gas was a long-standing demand of this area that has been fulfilled and added, the destiny of Swabi district would change with completion of ongoing uplift projects.

Earlier to his address, the Speaker inaugurated provision of Sui-gas facility to Union Council Baja and adjacent areas completed with an estimated cost of Rs 190 million. The Speaker also inaugurated an examination hall, four classrooms, four modern laboratories and Admin Block at Government Girls’ High School Baja completed with a cost of Rs 66.646 million.

MPAs from the area Aqib Ullah, Haji Rangrez Khan and a large number of people were present on the occasion.

The Speaker said that the work on three mega projects including Peshawar-D I Khan Motorway, Chakdara to Chitral Motorway and Railways line from Peshawar to Torkham was underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Railway line to Torkham, he said, will help boost trade activities at the border and enhance communication sources to Central Asian estates.

He also told that hundreds of thousands of people would get employment with the establishment of Rashakai Economic Zone.

The Speaker said that for the first time neglected provinces were having their representation in the Senate adding that the Opposition should accept its defeat in the Senate wholeheartedly and work together with the government for the well being of its people.

He said, we had been demanding an open ballot in Senate elections since 2013 and added that further enacting would be made to make the Senate elections more transparent. Had the Opposition accepted our demand of open ballot in the Senate election, it would have no objection today, he expressed.

He hoped that Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani from Baluchistan and Deputy Chairman Mirza Afridi from erstwhile FATA would work for removing the sense of deprivation of the people of their areas.

The Speaker said that bringing reforms in education sector was the agenda of the government and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was working on it from 2013.

A uniform curriculum would be introduced across the country besides setting up colleges and universities in Swabi district which would provide quality education to thousands of students.

He said that for the first time in the country's history, numerous projects of Sui gas were underway at Swabi district which would provide the essential gas facility to every household of the district.