Shahbaz Sharif is joyful on British appreciation

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that appreciation of the steps taken by Punjab government in skill development, education and other sectors by British Minister for International Development and international institutions is a matter of pride not only for Punjab but for the whole country.He was talking to media-men in London today.

The Chief Minister said that the revolutionary measures taken by the government for the promotion of education in the province are yielding positive results. He said that poor but talented students are also getting education in prestigious educational institutions with the help of Punjab Educational Endowment Fund and the government has provided opportunities of higher education to the brilliant children of deprived segments of the society through this revolutionary programme. He said that lakhs of children of poor families are also studying through voucher scheme of Punjab Education Foundation.

He said that Punjab government is ready to share its experiences with other provinces. He said that every effort is being made by the government to fulfill the responsibility given to it by people of Pakistan and international institutions are also commending the performance of provincial government. He said that good governance, transparency and self-accountability are the hallmark of the government.

The Chief Minister said that due to steps taken by Punjab government for the promotion of education, no child will now remain deprived of education. He said that in order to encourage brilliant students, position-holders are sent on study tour of educational institutions of foreign countries and in addition to Punjab, boy and girl students of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and other regions of the country have also been included in this programme which is also promoting national solidarity.

He said that Skill Development Programme is also continuing successfully and thousands of boy and girls have so far been imparted training under this programme. He said that instead of spending resources on the construction of buildings, a skilled force is being prepared with the help of renowned companies under Skill Development Programme. He said that a state-of-the-art knowledge park is being set up in the provincial metropolis where campuses of various universities will be set up and a conference of the representatives of prominent foreign educational institutions will soon be arranged in Lahore.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister while talking to delegations of Pakistanis in London said that Pakistanis are rendering commendable services in engineering, medicine, banking and other sectors in different countries. He said that expatriate Pakistanis should share their experiences in different sectors with other Pakistanis.

He said that overseas Pakistanis should prove through their conduct that they are a peaceful, tolerant and a self-respecting nation. The Chief Minister said that overseas Pakistanis should work with honesty and dedication and assured that their problems will be resolved on priority basis. He said that he will himself ensure recovery of the properties of overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan if they have been grabbed.

Pakistani delegations thanked Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif over the holding of overseas Pakistanis convention in Lahore and said that he has won their hearts. They said that Shahbaz Sharif has proved that he has deep love and sympathy with the Pakistanis living abroad. They said that Shahbaz Sharif is serving the people of the province in a commendable manner.