Smallest coffins: Shahbaz says nation will be rid of terrorism

Tributes paid to Peshawar attack martyr in Nankana Sahib.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif condemned the perpetrators of the Peshawar carnage on Sunday.

He was speaking to provincial assembly members (MPAs). Sharif said the brazen attack had saddened the entire nation. He said those responsible for the massacre were a burden on the planet and deserved maximum punishment. The chief minister said the blood of those martyred would not go to waste. Sharif said national unity would frustrate the designs of anti-state elements. He said the nation would be rid of terrorism. Sharif said the military, the police and citizens had rendered many sacrifices in the war on terrorism. He said the entire nation was proud of the law enforcement agencies.

Candle vigil at local school:

Information and culture Parliamentary Secretary Rana Muhammad Arshad said on Sunday that the nation would not let the blood of those martyred in the Peshawar carnage go to waste. He was addressing a candle vigil in memory of those martyred in the attack at the Allied School in Sodiwal.  Arshad said anti-state elements would be defeated through national unity and harmony.

Delegation attends  conference in South Korea

A six-member delegation of Provincial Assembly Members (MPAs) Khwaja Imran Nazir, Qamaruz Zaman Raja, Agha Waqar, Chief Policy Support Officer Zahid Ali, Assistant Chief Policy Officer Muhammad Nawaz and Legal Officer Malik Usman participated in an investment conference in South Korea on Sunday following a directive from Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Representatives of 13 Korean companies also participated in the conference. The delegation reviewed potential areas of cooperation between Pakistan and South Korea during a meeting with them. The representatives expressed interest in various development projects in the Punjab including the construction of an elevated expressway from the Ravi Bridge to Imamia Colony, the power generation and health sectors. Khwaja Imran Nazir said the government had fostered an investor-friendly environment in the province. Nazir said development projects were being completed quickly and transparently without compromising quality standards. He said the government’s transparent execution of development projects had been praised abroad.  Nazir said the completion of a bridge in 65 days and the Metro Bus Project in 11 months had left engineers amazed. He invited Korean investors to take advantage of investment opportunities in the Punjab.

Peshawar attack martyr honoured

The district government organised a ceremony at the Nankana Sahib Hall to pay tribute to Muhammad Tahir, a resident of Kot Addu, who was martyred in the Peshawar carnage. A Rs1.6 million cheque, a condolence letter and a shield were presented to the family of the deceased on behalf of the government. Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Balochistan Barjees Tahir, Provincial Parliamentary Secretary Rana Muhammad Arshad and Commissioner Rashid Mehmood Langrial were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2014.