LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on one hand, the security forces were actively carrying out Zarb-e-Azb operation while on the other, all other institutions are also united to root out terrorism from the country.

He said all the political parties set a goal to eliminate terrorism and if the nation also maintains the unity against terrorism there could be no impediment to our success.

He said the SSG, police and other relevant institutions took part in the training of the CTF corporals and also thanked Army Chief for taking special interest in the training.

He said we had sacrificed thousands of lives including children, women and security personnel and Friday's blast in Shikarpur also saddened the whole nation.

Nawaz Sharif said we pray for forgiveness of the deceased souls, particularly the children martyred in Peshawar but such incidents also boost our morale.

He said we would not rest until last terrorist meets his fate.

"This is my resolve. Every Prime Minister, commander and Pakistani should have such a resolve.

I am seeing such a resolve in the whole nation.

If it lasts, terrorism will be eliminated from the country," he remarked.

He said the martyrs had set examples by sacrificing their lives that would prove to be a beacon for the nation.

He hoped that the young corporals would never hesitate from sacrificing their lives for the country.

The Prime Minister lauded the Chief Minister Punjab for raising the force swiftly and advised other provinces to follow the suite.

He said the strength of the CTF would be increased to thousands as such steps were part of the national action plan.

He said he and the Army Chief would visit Karachi and Quetta to discuss the situation with political leadership and monitor the anti-terror efforts.

He said had such efforts launched decades ago, there would have been no terrorism; however the government would never backtrack from this responsibility.

He said the country was faced with numerous challenges including power and gas crises those could have been averted by timely steps.

Recalling his previous tenures, he said the electricity was surplus and the government was even mulling to export it but the commodity fell short during last 15 years.

For the first time, the government was making serious efforts to address the crisis and hoped to make up the deficit during his stint.

He hoped that the country would again start producing electricity in surplus to bring prosperity to the people, alleviate poverty and generate revenue.

The CTF corporals also carried out a mock drill of raiding a building and arresting the terrorists on the basis of information conveyed by the intelligence unit of the force.

The Prime Minister reviewed the parade commanded by Corporal Humair Afzal.

The Prime Minister also distributed prizes among the best performers in different competitions held during the training course at the Police Training School.

Corporals Basit Ameen, Nazakat Ali and Iqra Noor obtained first, second and third positions respectively.

Later, Inspector General Police Punjab Mushtaq Sukhera presented a souvenir to the chief guest.

APP