President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday held telephonic conversation with the parents of the troops who were martyred in a terrorist attack in district Bajaur’s Hilalpur area on November 15. The president extended his condolences to the families of Naik Taj Muhammad and Lance Naik Imtiaz Ahmed. He said the nation paid tribute to the brave sons of the soil and prayed for the souls of the martyrs to rest in eternal peace. Dr Alvi said Pakistan would continue to make efforts till complete elimination of terrorism. Meanwhile, First Lady Samina Alvi said that along with still life paintings, the promotion of Islamic and Pakistani art at the international level was equally essential. The first lady, addressing a photo exhibition at the Pakistan National Council of Arts, urged the youth and emerging artists to benefit from the exhibition which marked the display of artists’ works from across the country. She said painting, calligraphy, statute and sculpture making, drawing, dance and music were the modes of expression opted by the artists to express their emotions. She said the fine arts allowed humans to better express their emotions and likened the importance of the fine arts to life itself. The first lady, who earlier inaugurated the exhibition, said that fine arts helped establish linkages with human history and evolution as it was also a method of promoting nation’s cultural traditions. She said the Islamic culture and art were rich with great traditions as the Islamic artefacts had got prominence across the world.