LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the country is facing numerous challenges and elimination of terrorism is at the top of the list and that all segments of society will have to play a role in the war against terrorism.

He said the role of the journalist community was of vital importance for promoting harmony and tolerance in society for eliminating terrorism.

He said the media had to encourage the institutions on good deeds side by side with constructive criticism.

The chief minister expressed these views while addressing an oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected governing body of the Lahore Press Club here on Monday.

Mr Shahbaz also announced that the provincial government would pay annual premium of Rs5.7 million of life insurance to members of the press club.

He also administered oath to newly-elected office-bearers.

Club president Arshad Ansari announced lifetime honorary membership of the institution for the chief minister.

Mr Shahbaz said a comprehensive plan should be evolved for meeting various demands of the journalist community and a practicable planning should be made keeping in view their socio-economic requirements.

He said the expansion of scope of such programme should be considered not only for Lahore but also for the whole the province.

He said a plan should jointly be evolved for establishing journalist housing colonies in those towns where such facilities did not exist.

Mr Shahbaz said every segment of society would have to utilise its energies for eliminating terrorism as the war against terrorism was multidimensional.

He said the Punjab government had constituted a counter terrorism force on modern professional lines after hard work of one-and-a-half- years.

Mr Ansari lauded efforts of the chief minister in eliminating land-grabbers from the Lahore Journalist Housing Society.

He said the setting up of F-Block for providing residential plots to some 300 more journalists was another achievement of Shahbaz Sharif.

He desired that the chief minister should lay the foundation stone of development works in the F-Block.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2015

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