British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond meets Punjab Chief Minister

Lahore: British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond met Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. Matters of mutual interest, promotion of trade and economic cooperation, health, skill development and security affairs were discussed during the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said that Pak-Britain relations have improved considerably during recent years. He said that new era of relations between both the countries has started during the tenure of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He said that historic friendly ties exist between Pakistan and Britain.

The Chief Minister said that a lot of work is being carried out for the uplift of education, health and skill development sectors in Punjab with the collaboration of Department of International Development (DFID) UK and reforms have been introduced in education, health and skill development sectors. He said that Punjab government is making investment for providing technical training to the youth and empowering them so that they could not only stand on their own feet but also play due role in strengthening economy.

Shahbaz Sharif said that historic steps have been taken for empowering women and protecting their rights. He said that such reforms have been introduced for the development and prosperity of women during last few years through which they are demonstrating their capabilities in practical fields. Referring to the measures taken for coping with terrorism and extremism, the Chief Minister said that besides solid steps, necessary legislation has been made for eliminating trends of extremism from the society.

He said that terrorism is a common problem of international community and this challenge can be overcome through collective efforts. He said that Pakistani nation, political and military leadership are on one page for eliminating terrorism and marching forward on the mission of constituting a society based on tolerance and forbearance according to the vision of Quaid-e-Azam.

Shahbaz Sharif said that proper, timely and transparent utilization of British taxpayers’ money has been ensured in Punjab. He thanked British government on invaluable cooperation in education, health and skill development sectors in Punjab.

British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond talking on the occasion said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, extraordinary work is being carried out in education, health and other sectors. Philip Hammond said that he is happy to see the proper utilization of British taxpayers’ money in Punjab. He said that Punjab is marching forward to right direction in development field and he is going back with a good message from Pakistan.

Advisor to Prime Minister Tariq Fatmi, Provincial Ministers Rana Sanaullah, Ayesha Ghous Pasha, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, Chairman Planning & Development, Secretary Home and besides senior officials, British High Commissioner Thomas Drew were also present on the occasion.