ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said his government was leading the war against terrorism to ensure a peaceful tomorrow for the country and future generations.
Talking to British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond here at the PM House, he said fighting the war against terrorism was the moral obligation of Pakistan.
“We strongly condemn terrorist activities anywhere in the world whether perpetrated by individuals, groups or States,” the Prime Minister said.
He said the ongoing military offensive against all terrorist groups, operation “Zarb-e-Azb” has broken the back of terrorists.
Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said his government faced major challenges of terrorism, economic degradation and energy deficiency since assuming office.
“We are overwhelmingly contented that our government has delivered on all these fronts. Our government evolved broad based consensus on National Action Plan, which has yielded very positive results in eliminating the scourge of terrorism from our land,” the Prime Minister told the British Foreign Secretary.
He said the entire Pakistani nation in general and its brave Armed Forces in particular, have rendered matchless sacrifices in the national drive against terrorism.
He said his government was also working on war footing to overcome the issue of energy shortage by the end of term in office, a statement from the PM House said.
“We will add about 10,000 MW of electricity to the national grid in our tenure. We have reduced power outages to a great deal in the power sector and are working harder to further minimize them,” he said.
Philip Hammond appreciated the Prime Minister for leading reform agendas in various sectors. He admired the Pakistani government for its domestic reform agenda and legislation and national policies to protect women and minorities.
“You are doing the right thing by reaching out to your neighbours. Your message of peace is, in fact, reaching to the entire world, which is reassuring,” Philip Hammond said.
The British Foreign Secretary said the Pakistani Diaspora of around 1.4 million was serving as a human bridge between the two countries to strengthen the existing ties, and added that they were positively contributing towards British economy and society.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan has a vital stake in peace, stability and development in Afghanistan and supports efforts for promoting peace and reconciliation through Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process.
He said Pakistan greatly appreciates the work undertaken by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in various sectors and parts of the country.
The delegation included British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew and British officials. Advisor to PM on Foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, SAPM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and other senior government officials also attended the meeting.
Source: APP
