- Defence minister says lack of economic opportunities breeds extremism
- German Economic Forum president says will establish an economic zone in Pakistan exclusively dedicated to German manufactures
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Pakistan is fighting decisive war against terrorism and the country’s armed forces are carrying out a full scale military operation to flush out terrorists from the tribal areas while India was demonstrating aggression on eastern borders to “support terrorism” [in Pakistan].
Talking to a private television channel during International Security Conference in Munich, the defence minister said out of seven, six tribal agencies have so far been cleared of all traces of terrorist. The last tribal agency is under active military operation, he added.
The defence minister also met his British counterpart British Philipp Dunne and discussed security issues. The two ministers also discussed matters to boost the bilateral defence relations.
The British defence minister appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to make the country free of terrorism and assured all out support and cooperation to bring peace and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and Germany have expressed the resolve to boost their bilateral cooperation in the defence and security fields.
This commitment came at a meeting between Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and his German counterpart Dr Ursula Von der Leyen on the sidelines of the conference in Munich.
Moreover, addressing a seminar “Prosperous Pakistan – Strategies 2030” organised by a German Economic Forum on the sidelines of 51st Munich Security Conference in Munich, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said lack of economic opportunities breeds extremism and provides manpower to perpetrators of terrorist acts.
The minister said for this reason, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is focusing much attention to improve the country’s economy and create maximum job opportunities.
Khawaja Asif said despite security challenges, the government has made remarkable progress on economic front, which has also been acknowledged by international organizations like International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.
He invited the German investors to invest in Pakistan, which is the sixth largest country with fourth largest labour force in the world. He said Pakistan should not be seen through the prism of Afghan crisis and the propaganda being unleashed by enemies who do not want to see a developed and prosperous Pakistan.
Earlier, German Economic Forum president, in his presentation, said the German Economic Forum is going to establish an economic zone in Pakistan exclusively dedicated to German Manufactures and Business Houses.
