MANSEHRA: Governor Faisal Kareem Kundi on Sunday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had rendered immense sacrifices in the country’s ongoing war against terrorism.

“We are proud of our youth, tribal elders, policemen and religious scholars for rendering great sacrifices and laying down their lives for peace in the country,” he said while speaking at the Shuhada-i-Islam and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Conference held at a seminary in the Chatterplain area here.

A large number of seminary students and clerics attended the conference.

The governor said that tribesmen and their elders had also waged a struggle against terrorism and that their sacrifices, like those of the police force, would always be remembered by the nation.

“You should focus all your energies on education, research and the true teachings of Islam to put the country on the path of prosperity and development,” Mr Kundi said.

Urges youth to focus on education, research for country’s prosperity

He said that if people remained united and the youth followed the true teachings of Islam, no one would be able to divide the nation. “India hatched a conspiracy to portray Pakistan as a terrorist state following the Pahalgam attack, but our befitting response foiled that attempt. The international community, led by US President Donald Trump, eventually called us for a ceasefire to save humanity from destruction,” Mr Kundi said.

The governor said that Pakistan had also played an important role in bringing the United States and Iran to the negotiating table. “Pakistan’s role in regional and international diplomacy has enhanced its stature in the world,” Mr Kundi said.

He said that the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Armed Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir had strengthened the country’s standing in the international community. “Our superiority over India during the conflict has been acknowledged internationally, and our armed forces and their leadership have been widely praised,” Mr Kundi said.

He also referred to the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, saying that it had strengthened Pakistan’s defence capabilities and demonstrated the professionalism of the country’s pilots.

Speaking on the occasion, former provincial minister Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah said that the Pakistan Peoples Party had laid the foundation of the country’s nuclear and missile programmes.

“Former prime minister and PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto laid the foundation of the nuclear programme, while former prime minister Benazir Bhutto played an important role in strengthening the country’s missile programme, making Pakistan’s defence invincible,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026