ISLAMABAD   -    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir Thursday spent the day of Eid with army jawans in Parachinar along the Pakistan-Af­ghanistan border.

The prime minis­ter was accompanied by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Defence Khawaja Mu­hammad Asif and Min­ister for Information and Broadcasting Mar­riyum Aurangzeb. The prime minister and chief of army staff of­fered the Eid prayer along with army officers and jawans and later ex­changed Eid greetings.

The PM praised the army for its high resolve, operational preparedness and professional standards. During the meeting with the officers and jawans, Shehbaz Sharif said he along with the army chief was spending the Eid with them so that he could pay tribute to their efforts and passion for defending the borders of the motherland with bravery and courage. He said the officers and jawans of Pakistan’s Armed Forces leave their personal comfort to perform the sa­cred obligation of the pro­tection, defence and securi­ty of the country. They bear the hardships of weath­er and difficult conditions, face all kinds of challeng­es and problems and guard the borders of the mother­land and for that endeavour the nation saluted them, he added. He said the offi­cers and jawans individual­ly and collectively gave pri­ority to the security of the country whether it was any happy occasion or festival including Eid or an occa­sion of grief and the nation saluted them for this fer­vour. He said today he was paying tribute to the offi­cers and jawans of Pakistan army, air force, and navy for their services as they were fulfilling the sacred duty of security of borders of the country with iron determi­nation despite the immense obstacles. The prime minis­ter felicitated the whole na­tion including the officers and jawans of armed forces on the occasion of Eid. He reaffirmed the resolve that there would be no place to hide for those who de­stroyed peace, perpetrat­ed terrorism, or abetted or facilitated acts of terror. The Pakistaniat of the Pa­kistani nation failed the ne­farious designs of the forc­es who were causing chaos and mayhem in the country, he said adding those forces were defeated who want­ed to create divisions and fissures in the nation for their evil agenda. He said martyrs were the pride and precious asset of Pakistan and its nation and their honour and dignity were above everything else.