LAHORE – British High Commissioner Thomas Drew met Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Saturday and matters of mutual interest, strengthening of bilateral relations and increase in cooperation in different sectors were discussed in the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said there are best friendly and trade relations between Pakistan and Britain, adding that British cooperation in education, health, skill development and other sectors is laudable. He said interaction between Punjab and Britain in different sectors has increased.
He said ongoing programmes in education, health and skill development sectors are being successfully implemented with the cooperation of British Department for International Development. He said promotion of education can help in curbing the trends of extremism and terrorism, therefore, the Punjab government is paying special attention to the uplift of education sector and far-reaching measures have been taken for this purpose.
He said government has promoted the culture of transparency, merit and quality completion of development projects. “National resources are a trust of the people and every penny of public money is being spent only on the welfare of the masses,” he said.
The chief minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan has made remarkable progress in various sectors including controlling of energy crisis and elimination of terrorism and extremism. He said that compared to 2013, Pakistan today is more peaceful, safe, developed and stable economically.
He said there is no room for terrorism and extremism in the country. He said no effort will be spared for achieving the mission of setting up a society based on peace and tolerance as was envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
British High Commissioner Thomas Drew said there is a strong partnership between the Punjab government and Britain for the betterment of social sectors. He said under the leadership of CM Shehbaz, the Punjab government has taken splendid measures for public welfare. He said that process of cooperation in social sectors will continue in future as well.
