British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond held a meeting with Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday.
They discussed bilateral relations and ways to promote trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Britain. They also discussed matters pertaining to education, health, skills development and security during the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said the provincial government has made sincere efforts to eliminate terrorism and overcome energy crisis.
He said that global issues like terrorism could only be tackled with combined efforts. He said Punjab government has made reforms in health, education and skills development sectors.
Separately, Minister for Industry of the Republic of Belarus Vitaly Mikhailovich Vovk also called on Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. Promotion of cooperation in agriculture, industries, mining and forest sectors and enhancing trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Belarus were discussed during the meeting. It was agreed to increase cooperation in agriculture, industries, mining and forestry sectors between Punjab and Belarus. Prospect of barter trade system was also discussed on this occasion and it was agreed to soon evolve a future strategy in this regard. Minister for Industry of Belarus also formally invited Shehbaz Sharif to visit Belarus.
Talking to Minister for Industry of Belarus, the chief minister said that friendly relations exist between Pakistan and Belarus. He said that considerable progress has been made for promoting cooperation in various sectors between Pakistan and Belarus during the last year and a half. Sharif said that we wanted to benefit from the expertise and experiences of the Belarusian industry and agriculture sectors.
PUNJAB SAFE CITIES AUTHORITY:
The chief minister also presided over the third meeting of Punjab Safe Cities Authority in which progress on the project was reviewed.
Addressing the meeting, Sharif said that making cities of Punjab safe and peaceful is the government’s top priority and all-out resources are being utilised for this purpose. He said that the work is continuing speedily on the Safe City Project in Lahore.
Sharif said that Safe Cities Project would be started in four other big cities of Punjab including Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala. The chief minister said that Safe Cities Project was of great importance for the eradication of crime and improvement in the law and order situation.
The chief minister said that the use of modern technology would help in curbing criminal the elements. He said that Safe Cities Project is being worked on speedily and in a professional manner. He said that the Safe Cities Project would be a state-of-the-art project in all respects. He said that this project would be completed in a transparent manner. He said that the project would prove a milestone in the history of the country.
CM Sharif said that the Punjab government had promoted the use of information technology in government institutions. Provincial Minister Bilal Yasin, Member of National Assembly Pervaiz Malik, MPA Jehangir Khanzada, Special Assistant Rana Maqbool Ahmed, chief secretary, inspector general Police, concerned secretaries and other senior government officials attended the meeting.
