LAHORE: British Home Secretary Amber Rudd on Thursday called on Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in London on Thursday and discussed matters of mutual interest and bilateral relations between the two countries. The British home secretary said that Pakistan had played a commendable role in war against terrorism. She said that due to the hard work of the chief minister and his team, improved results have been achieved in health and education sectors and reforms programme of the provincial government, under the supervision of Shehbaz Sharif, was meeting wonderful successes. Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan-UK relations were built on strong basis and added that UK’s cooperation in health and education was commendable. He said that collective efforts of Punjab government and DFID have achieved the targets of education sector reforms programme in the province. “Law enforcement agencies including Pakistan army have rendered invaluable services for the elimination of terrorism from the country,” he said. Shehbaz pointed out that efforts of the Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) performance in Punjab has given substantive results. Due to the establishment of Safe City Authority in Lahore and other cities, the ratio of terrorism and other crimes has been sufficiently decreased, he added. Separately, the chief minister while felicitating the entire nation on Pakistan Day said that the resolution was an important milestone in struggle for a separate homeland for the Muslims of subcontinent. It is also an occasion to pay homage to martyrs and freedom fighters who played active role in struggle for Pakistan, he added. Shehbaz said that nation needs the same passions of unity and brotherhood showed by the Muslims on March 23, 1940. He vowed to take nation towards development and prosperity by employing the passion of March 23, 1940, and added it was our duty to strive for the fulfillment of objectives of Pakistan movement. The Punjab CM went on to say that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was making sincere efforts for coping with challenges being faced by the country and wriggle the nation out of the quagmire of problems. The sacrifices rendered by our forefathers demand that we should achieve the objectives of independence, he said and added that this goal can be achieved by making the country great in line with the vision of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He said that Pakistan was moving towards the destination envisioned by Quaid-a-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal. “We will have to utilize all our energies to achieve the goal of a developed and prosperous Pakistan and the struggle will have to be continued to make Pakistan stronger by following the golden principles of unity, faith and discipline, he added. Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif said that successful holding of third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has promoted soft image of Pakistan in the world. He said that people have enjoyed cricket in a congenial atmosphere and drying of wicket through helicopter was an innovative measure. Holding of the PSL in a peaceful atmosphere was a victory of Pakistan and a defeat of enemies of peace, adding that the time is not afar when famous cricket teams will visit Pakistan, he added. Published in Daily Times, March 23rd 2018.