SIALKOT, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Defence, Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday stressed the need to promote mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan for eliminating terrorism and establishing durable peace as well.
Talking to the media, he said Pakistan wanted to have good relations with Afghanistan and would continue its sincere efforts for better relations with it.
The minister said the Country had again offered its full cooperation to the Afghan government to eliminate terrorism besides establishing durable peace across the borders.
Khawaja Asif said Pakistan was deeply monitoring its borders situation and ready to protect its territorial boundaries as well, adding that Pakistan would respond instantly and effectively in a befitting way to the enemy on borders violations.
Asif said Pakistan was successfully eliminating terrorism from the country besides continuously playing front line role for establishing durable global peace.
The minister said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would open new vistas of socio-economic and human development in the Pakistan.
The water and power minister said by the end December this year, 6,400 MW would be added to the national grid, adding that there was no unscheduled load shedding anywhere in the country. He said the industrial sector had been made free from electricity load shedding and there was zero load shedding in the industrial sector.
The minister said there would be surplus electricity in the country till December 2017 and the government was committed to end the inherited load shedding before the next general elections in the Country. He said now only those areas were facing power outages where pilferage was underway.
Earlier, addressing the participants of an oath taking ceremony of the Sialkot Tax Bar Association held in Sialkot, the minister stressed the need of early removal of flaws from the tax collection system besides making direly needed and the most-awaited practical steps in this regard.
The minister administrated the oath to the newly-elected office-bearers of the Sialkot Tax Bar Association.
MNA Chaudhry Armughan Subhani, MPA Chaudhry Arshad Javaid Warraich, Chairman Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) Malik Muhammad Ashraf, Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue Imran Raza Kazmi, President Sialkot District Bar Association (DBA) Chaudhry Shaukat Ali, President Sialkot Tax Bar Association Shahid Mehmood, VP Jawab Sarwar Butt and members of Sialkot Tax Bar Association were also present.