PESHAWAR, Oct 20 (APP): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engr. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra has said that peace has been restored in the country due to the great sacrifices rendered by our security forces and tribesmen and steps have been taken to bring FATA youth to the main pool of talent at national level.
Talking to media men Governor KP Engr. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said, we are entering into the new phase of peace and development and lauded the initiative being taken by President KP Football Association for holding All-Pakistan Shama Challenge Football Cup after a lapse of 30-years.
He said Pakistan is gifted by Almighty Allah with great talent in the youth and through such tournaments the youth would get an opportunity to come to the national pool of talent.
It is a great achievement of our talented youth in various sports including football at national and international levels, he added.
KP Governor Engr. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said that after successful execution of the Zarb-e-Azb operation against terrorists, “we are now entering into the new phase of peace and stability which was only achieved as a result of matchless sacrifices rendered by Pakistan Army, security forces and the patriotic tribesmen.”
The Governor said the peace has been restored not only in the tribal region but also in the entire country due to the successful execution of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb.
He expressed the resolve of the federal government of eliminating terrorism and rehabilitating tribal people affected in parts of FATA due to military operations saying that though the task was challenging but it would be overcome with the support of the people.
He said that maintenance of lasting peace and repatriation of TDPs and their rehabilitation were the top most priorities of our government adding that efforts were being made to ensure the successful and dignified return of all the TDPs to their homes by the end of this year.
He said there could never be two opinions about the importance of sports in promoting healthy activities. KP had produced champions of the international fame and their contribution for the promotion of this game in the province and country was appreciable, he added.
The people of this province have seen a very difficult time in last few years in shape of terrorism. This had a direct bearing on social, economic and psychological aspects on general public. Sincere efforts are being made at all levels to restore normalcy in the province. We are committed to eliminating the menace of extremism and terrorism, he added.
We have a very rich history of contributing to promotion of almost all the internationally acknowledged popular games like squash, football, hockey, wrestling, badminton, table tennis etc and both this province and Fata produced shining stars in sports, he remarked.
“We are peace-loving people. We have made sacrifices for restoration of peace. We would continue our efforts for maintenance of lasting peace,” he said.
The governor appreciated the young footballers for their successful participation in the tournament.
