PESHAWAR: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan Agency on Tuesday and expressed solidarity with the military personnel deployed there.

A statement said the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz went to the farthest post of Pakistan Army on the border at Kitton, where fencing has been done to prevent cross-border infiltration.

The statement quoted the Punjab chief minister as saying that Punjab was the only province which had aided the huge fencing initiative of Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa by contributing Rs1 billion for its completion.

Military commanders briefed Mr Sharif about measures being taken to prevent illegal movement of people to and from the Afghan border.

Earlier, the chief minister laid a wreath at the Yadgaar-i-Shahuda and paid homage to officers and soldiers of Pakistan Army who had sacrificed their lives and contributed to peace and normalcy in the region.

When Mr Sharif reached Miramshah, he was received by GOC of North Waziristan Maj Gen Azhar Abbasi.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam were accompanying Mr Sharif.

According to a handout, Mr Sharif visited the border area as well as the 7th Division Headquarters where he was briefed by Maj Gen Abbasi about the management of the border and its fencing, adds APP.

During the visit, the chief minister also visited the Younis Khan Sports Complex.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sharif said that fencing of the border had helped overcome incidents of terrorism in the country.

The Punjab government, he said, had extended support for fencing in the past and it would do so in future also.

The chief minister said that he was in Miramshah to express his solidarity with officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army.

“The history of most daring examples of success in the war against terrorism has been written with the blood of our brave sons,” the handout quoted Mr Sharif as saying.

The chief minister said there was no other example of such great sacrifices in the history of nations and historic efforts put in by Pakistan Army would never be forgotten by the nation.

“In fact, the role of Pakistan Army will be written in golden letters as its personnel overcame the menace of terrorism in the motherland. The brave offices and jawans have written stories of success with their blood,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2018