Pakistan is spending $14 billion per annum in the war against terrorism, “and it is not only to make Pakistan peaceful, but to secure world peace,” Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, the visiting Federal Minister of Pakistan for Population Welfare, said here Thursday. The minister was speaking at a function held in her honor by Riaz Bukhari, president of the Pakistan People's Party in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Salik Khan, Consul General of Pakistan, was the chief guest at the event. “Pakistan is fighting the most difficult war in its history,” the minister said. Terrorists, she said, had come close to Islamabad and “our valiant troops drove them back to the 1,800-km border between Pakistan and Afghanistan”. “It is the most difficult war because of the hills and caves and the terrorists indulging in guerrilla war,” she said. To boost the morale of the army, the government has sanctioned a 100 percent increase in the wages of all army personnel. For other government servants, the increase is 40 percent. “This increase is primarily to offset the increase of prices that has occurred because of the war,” she said. “The war will soon end and the terrorists will be driven out of our territory. No war can be won except with the full support of the people of the country and with Pakistanis whole-heartedly standing against the terrorists,” she said. Commenting on the Pakistani workforce in the Kingdom, she said the 1.5 million Pakistani expatriates respect Saudi laws and are working diligently for the development of the Kingdom. Counsel General Khan congratulated Dr. Firdous on performing Umrah and on her visit to the Prophet's Mosque. “She (Dr. Firdous) is a very sincere leader and is working for the betterment and welfare of Pakistanis,” he said. Pakistan, he said, is proud of the cordial and brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia and is thankful to the Kingdom for always standing with Pakistan in all its difficulties. “Saudi Arabia is leading the Muslim nation and all Pakistanis support the Kingdom in all its endeavors,” he said. Riaz Bukhari drew the attention of the minister to the sorry plight of overseas Pakistanis who “do not get the benefits they deserve from our government”. Overseas Pakistanis, he said, are serving Pakistan by strengthening the country's foreign exchange, yet they are not getting any reward for their services. He also pleaded with the minister to take up the issue of a new building for the Pakistani consulate in Jeddah as the present premises are insufficient to meet the requirements of its visitors. Dr. Firdous said she would like to see a representative of overseas Pakistanis in the National Assembly, adding that she will propose this and get the approval of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
