Soldiers' sacrifices will not go in vain, says PM Nawaz

Four army soldiers martyred in Shawal clash laid to rest

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday, the sacrifices of Pakistan Army soldiers who are fighting against terrorists will not go in vain.

“They will be in our hearts and prayers, and we will make sure that their sacrifices do not go in vain,” a statement issued by the PM House quoted the premier as saying.

The statement comes in wake of an armed clash in Shawal Valley of North Waziristan Agency on Saturday between troops of the Pakistan Army and terrorists, in which as many as 19 militants were killed while four military men, including an officer, also died in the skirmish.



Further, the prime minister offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the four military personnel who were martyred in Shawal. “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sends his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the struggle against terrorism in Shawal,” the statement read.

PM Nawaz lauded the courage and bravery of the valiant soldiers who had laid down their lives while defending their homeland.  “These men showed bravery and courage till their very last breath… they put the nation and its future before their own,” he said.

However, the prime minister emphasised that there is little room for complacency as the nation is passing through a critical stage. “This is a battle of good vs evil and what defines us as a people, those who lost their lives today in this never-ending struggle are worthy of being called pride of our nation,” Nawaz said.

General Raheel vows to eliminate terrorists from country

Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has vowed to exterminate terrorists from every nook and corner of the country.

“Determined to finish all terrorists from their pockets in every nook & corner of country,” DG ISPR Lt-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa on Sunday said in one of his Twitter messages while quoting the army chief.

Determined 2 finish all terrorists from their pkts every nook&corner in country.#COAS Visited CMH 2 see injured of ongoing phase of ops-2

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) February 28, 2016

According to ISPR, General Raheel attended the funeral of Pakistan Army officer Captain Umair, who died on Saturday in a clash with terrorists in Shawal. “They got martyred but did not allow terrorists to escape from the valley,” the army chief said while lauding the courage of the soldiers.

Shaheed sldrs,Capt Umair's funeral Psr.COAS attended.They got martyred,Didnt allow terrorists escape 4rm Shawal-1 pic.twitter.com/57QrPP99Xd

— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) February 28, 2016

Further, the army chief visited the Combined Military Hospital in Shawal to inquire after military men who got injured during the clash.

On Saturday, as the final push in the densely forested strategic Valley picked up pace intense exchange of fire took place after army’s ground forces surrounded a group of fleeing terrorists in the Mangroti area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Shawal, the military’s media wing, the ISPR, had said in a brief statement.



The deadly battle came three days after Army chief General Raheel Sharif visited North Waziristan and gave the go-ahead for the final phase of Operation Zarb-e-Azb launched in mid-June 2014 against homegrown terrorists and their foreign cohorts.

Most parts of North Waziristan have been cleansed of terrorists and tens of thousands of tribesmen displaced by fighting have started returning to their homes in the area cleared by the military.