SIALKOT: Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Saturday that Pakistan’s defence was in very strong hands and the government successfully purged the northern and Tribal Areas of militancy, extremism and terrorism during Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
Addressing a meeting of lawyers at the Sialkot District Bar Association (DBA), the minister hailed the sacrifices and professional capabilities of the Pakistan Army and its efforts to curb terrorism and militancy in the country. He said the government was committed to weeding out terrorism from the country with people’s help. He said the nation stood united against terrorism.
The minister said that parliament was getting stronger day by day and that was a very healthy and pleasant sign for the constitution and the country. He said the country was rapidly moving towards economic and political stability due to effective policies of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Asif vowed the government would complete the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in collaboration with all provinces and it would make Pakistan economically a strong nation. The minister said the government had finalised the project of 93km long Sialkot-Lahore Motorway and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would lay the foundation stone of the project within next two months. He said this motorway would be built between Sialkot and Kala Shah Kaku and it would reduce the travel time between Sialkot and Lahore to 65 minutes. The minister said that construction work on the underpass and overhead bridge projects in Sialkot would begin soon.
Asif, who also holds the portfolio of the water and power minister, said that all national institutions were playing their role in the supremacy of the constitution and the parliament. He said the government had effectively reduced the duration of power load shedding in the country and added that the government would overcome the power crisis within the next two years. On this occasion, Asif handed over a cheque of Rs 5 million to Sialkot District Bar Association President Maqsud Ahmed Bhatti for lawyers’ welfare. Later, the minister laid the foundation stone of a Rs 400 million project of construction of sewerage drain between Kotli Behram to China Chowk in Sialkot. MNAs Chaudhry Armughan Subhani and Rana Shamim Ahmed, MPAs Manshaullah Butt and Chaudhry Muhammad Ikram and the Sialkot District Bar Association president were also present.
