Ambassadors express grief over loss of lives in APS attack

PESHAWAR: A 13-member group of high commissioners and ambassadors of various countries called on Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Monday and condoled the death of 142 students who were killed in the December 16 attack on the Army Public School and College.
They expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives of the students and other staff members and discussed other matters of mutual interest.
Thanking the foreign ambassadors for the sympathies shown by their respective governments over the school tragedy, the chief minister said people and government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been suffering loss of human lives and economic and social destruction since long due to terrorism and presence of 4-5 million Afghan refugees in the strategically located province.
The chief minister said in the wake of this situation the international community should come forward and help out the provincial government which was already striving hard for a sustainable transformation in the province.
Pervez Khattak said all activities against terrorists were being jointly carried out by the government, Pakistan Army, intelligence agencies and other law-enforcing agencies.
Briefing the foreign delegates about agenda, activities and goals of his government, the chief minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition government was following one point agenda for the change for which the people had voted them to power.
The chief minister said that under the agenda, a series of reforms had been initiated to root out the menace of corruption from all government departments.
He added that comprehensive laws were enacted by his government to implement the reforms, which mainly include right to information, services and establishment of an independent Ehtesab (Accountability) Commission. He said such reforms were now yielding the desired results.
The chief minister said the police, revenue, administration and education systems had been depoliticised and revamped. He added that now they were delivering services in a transparent and effective manner under a strict electronic monitoring system.
He said that the task of building infrastructure and provision of civic amenities together with health and education sectors has been entrusted to the local governments, which would be elected very soon.
Pervez Khattak said the local governments had been empowered to spend 30 percent of the total development budget of the province.The chief minister also apprised the delegation about electricity generation, industrialisation, provision of food items on subsidised rates and other policies of welfare of common people.
The delegation members appreciated the provincial government’s measures for welfare of people and expressed their satisfaction over the reforms introduced by present government in education, health and governance sectors.They also offered cooperation of their respective governments, especially in promotion of primary education.