Pak army is fighting against the enemies of peace : Shahbaz Sharif

London: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has that the dream of progress and prosperity cannot be realized without elimination of terrorism and maintenance of peace. He said that Pakistan is facing serious issue of terrorism and extremism and curbing of terrorism and restoration of peace is the top priority of the government. He said that Pak army is fighting against the enemies of peace for the survival and stability of the country and has achieved tremendous successes in the war against terrorism. He said that the whole nation is proud of the courage, bravery and professionalism of its armed forces. He said that Pakistani nation is united against terrorism and standing behind Pak army for riding the country of this menace.

He was talking to a delegation of overseas Pakistanis in London today. The Chief Minister said that Pak army is writing a new history of courage and valor for purging the country of terrorism and maintenance of peace. He said that the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation is yielding glorious results and the day is not far when Pakistan will become a haven of harmony and tranquility. He said that terrorism and extremism have also affected economic and trade activities and national economy has suffered a heavy loss. He said that thousands of Pakistanis have laid down their lives in the war against terrorism which include officers and Jawans of armed forces, police, security institutions as well as ordinary citizens.

The Chief Minister said that it is highly lamentable that while the armed forces are fighting against terrorism, some elements are engaged in negative politics at this critical juncture of the national history for achieving their personal ends and have involved the people in meaningless sit-ins. He said that he believes that the elements staging sit-ins should display maturity and wisdom at this stage in the larger interest of the country. He said that side by side with the operation to rid the country of terrorism, promotion of economic and trade activities, equitable distribution of resources and provision of basic amenities to the deprived segments of the society is essential, therefore, Punjab government has taken effective steps in this regard and is implementing revolutionary programmes for bringing the deprived people into mainstream of development.

The Chief Minister further said that Daanish school system is playing an important role in the provision of quality education free of cost to the children of the poorest of the poor families of South Punjab. Moreover, he said, scholarships are being given to poor but talented students through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund for continuing their studies. He said that youth are a precious asset of the country and Punjab government has started a number of programmes for their empowerment. He said that a programme has been evolved for the provision of vehicles on soft terms to the unemployed youth under Apna Rozgar Scheme. He said that a corruption-free culture and merit has been promoted in Punjab. He said that like other programmes, Apna Rozgar Scheme will also be implemented in a highly transparent manner and merit will be ensured at every level. He said that the dream of homeless people to have their own house is being realized through Ashiyana housing project. He said that Punjab government has taken such revolutionary steps as could help in checking the trend of extremism for making Pakistan a peaceful country.

The Chief Minister further said that overseas Pakistanis are ambassadors of the country and are playing a commendable role for strengthening the economic foundations of Pakistan. He said that Pakistan Muslim League-N government deeply appreciates the services of overseas Pakistanis for national progress and prosperity. He said that solution of problems of overseas Pakistanis is the responsibility of the state and Punjab government has completed legislation for setting up a fully autonomous commission for this purpose. He said that the commission will work on modern lines for resolving the problems of overseas Pakistanis and redressing their grievances.