No outages during Sehr, Iftar, Taraveeh prayers: Asif

SIALKOT: Minister for Defence and Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif has announced that there would be no loadshedding during Sehr, Iftar and Taraveeh prayers across the country. He announced this while talking to the media here on Sunday after inaugurating the Sasta Ramazan Bazaar. Local MPAs Manshaullah Butt, Chaudhry Muhammad Ikram, Arshad Javaid Warraich and Sialkot District Coordination Officer Iftikhar Ali Sahu were also present on the occasion. Asif said the government was taking effective measures to ensure maximum reduction in power loadshedding and relief to the people during Ramazan. He said the government was striving to curb loadshedding, adding its efforts were resulting in reduction in the duration of outages. He further said early rehabilitation of IDPs of North Waziristan was top priority of the government, adding the armed forces would continue the military operation until complete elimination of terrorism, militancy and extremism from there and establishment of durable peace. He said the whole nation stood with the armed forces against terrorism. Earlier, talking to a delegation of local exporters, the minister hailed the role of Sialkot’s business community in strengthening the national economy and boosting national exports by earning $1.6 billion annually. Addressing the delegation, he claimed Sialkot had become a role model for the developing world as well. He said the government was fully aware of the problems being faced by the business community and it was making sincere efforts to give maximum relief and trade-related incentives to the businessmen. Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2014