Federal Minister for Defence, Water and Power Khawaja Asif Saturday said defence of the country was in strong hands and the government had successfully purged northern and tribal areas from militancy, extremism and terrorism during operation Zarb-e-Azb.
Addressing a meeting of lawyers held at the Sialkot District Bar Association (DBA), the minister hailed the sacrifices and professional capabilities of the Pakistan Army in curbing terrorism and militancy from the country.
He said the government was committed to eliminating terrorism from the country with cooperation from the masses, adding that the nation was united against terrorism. The minister said parliament was getting stronger by the day which was a healthy sign for democracy and the country.
He said the country was rapidly moving towards economic and political stability due to the effective policies of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
Khawaja Asif expressed the hope that government would complete the China Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) with an active cooperation of all provinces which would make Pakistan economically strong.
The minister said the government had finalised project of 93KM long Sialkot-Lahore Motorway and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would lay the foundation stone of the project within the next two months. He said this motorway would be established between Sialkot and Kala Shah Kaku which would reduce travelling time to 65 minutes between Sialkot to Lahore.
The minister said construction on other projects of underpass and overhead bridge in the city would be started very soon.