Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has come out of economic crisis and the coming days will bring good news for the people of Pakistan.
Addressing an international forum arranged by UK-Pakistan Energy and Infrastructure Forum on the 4th day of his visit to London, Sharif said that in changing international economic scenario, Pakistan’s importance is increasing with the passage of time and the developed countries should benefit from it.
He said terrorism has been overcome to a great extent in Pakistan and energy crisis will also be minimised by the end of 2017. He said that economic relations between Pakistan and Britain have substantially improved during the last year and it is hoped that the volume of trade between the two countries will reach one billion pounds during the next few years.
The chief minister said that work is in progress speedily in Punjab on projects of generation of power from coal, fuel, water and gas. He said the growing relations between Britain and China will also provide opportunities to Pakistani investors and traders.
Meanwhile, Sharif said that elimination of terrorism is a part of national agenda and Pakistan is spending billions of rupees in this war from its own limited resources. He said that funds are being spent more than the resources to save the people from terrorists.
Talking to British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Interior Secretary Theresa May and British Minister for International Development Justine Greening and other senior officials, the chief minister said that terrorism and extremism has various forms, therefore, different strategies are needed to curb this menace. He said that besides the use of force, those causes will have to be addressed which promote terrorism and extremism. Sharif said Pak Army, government and people are on one page for rooting out terrorism and after Peshawar tragedy, there is complete consensus in the nation in this war. He said the culture of tolerance and patience and moderation is promoting in the country. He said that war against terrorism is not being fought only with guns but the weapons of education, training and welfare measures are also being used.
