ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain says operation Zarb-e-Azb and other counter-terrorism activities will continue till the complete eradication of terrorism.

He was addressing the prize distribution ceremony of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The President said sacrifices of security forces personnel and civilians in war against terrorism will not go waste.

Referring to yesterday's terrorism incident in Lahore, he said such cowardly incidents cannot deter our resolve to root out terrorism as the whole nation is united against this menace. He said every individual stands shoulder to shoulder with security forces to fight terrorism.

He prayed for those police officers and civilians who lost their lives in yesterday's terrorism incident and expressed sympathy with the bereaved families.

Mamnoon Hussain said education is the basis of development and prosperity of any country or nation.  He said only those nations can develop and prosper in the world who acquire latest education and use their knowledge for the welfare of the humanity.

He hoped that the youth after acquiring education will play role against ignorance and extremism.

The President said China Pakistan Economic Corridor has created many opportunities of development and urged the students to acquire latest education and technological skill to take full benefit of the mega project.

He highlighted the importance of transparent use of resources and said situation has improved a lot in this regard.  He said world organizations monitoring the corruption index have acknowledged that there is considerable decrease in corruption in Pakistan during the last few years.  This positive attitude needs to be maintained.

Addressing the event, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said given the exponential increase in knowledge creation, we need to introduce such an education system which prepare our youth for the future.

He said that the first pillar of Vision 2025 is the development of human resource and every effort is being made to bring improvements in the social sector.

The Minister said that a science college is being established in which students from eight to twelve grade will be imparted with latest scientific education. He said that university campuses are also being established in every district of the country.

Minister of State for Education Baligh Ur Rehman highlighted the steps taken by the government for bringing improvement in the education sector. He said allocations for the education sector have substantially been enhanced in the last three years.

He said a national level education policy is also being framed and the main thrust of this policy will be character building and giving civic sense to the youth as well as the Quranic education. He said that a draft law has also been prepared to make education of Quran compulsory at the school level.

The Minister said a national curriculum council has also been established and steps are being taken to remove out-dated material from our syllabus.

Baligh Ur Rehman said that an endowment fund is also being established under which the youth will be provided with interest free loans to acquire higher education.

Earlier, the President gave away certificates, laptops and cash prizes to the students who secured top positions in SSC and HSSC examinations.—Radio Pakistan