Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday said that the sacrifices of the nation and the Armed Forces given during the September 1965 war shall never be forgotten and the day of September 6, 1965, is the immortal chapter of our history.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa said this at the Military Awards Ceremony at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi where he presented awards to the officers and men who showed courage in the line of duty.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the chief guest at the ceremony.

During the ceremony, 40 officers were awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz while 24 officers were awarded Tamgha-i-Basalat (Medal of Good Conduct). Families of martyred and present service officers attended the ceremony. The medals of martyrs were received by their families.

In his address at the main ceremony held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi in connection with the Defence and Martyrs Day, the Army Chief said that today there is better environment of peace in Pakistan and the country gives the message of peace and security to the world.

“Our neighbouring country has adopted an irresponsible attitude. The regional peace is again facing numerous threats after the change in legal status of the Occupied Kashmir. There is no doubt that Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute and we do not accept any one-sided decision in this regard,” General Bajwa vowed.

“We have successfully faced every challenge whether it was war on terrorism, floods, coronavirus or the locust attack,” he maintained.

General Bajwa said that the Armed Forces of Pakistan are capable of thwarting any misadventure and nefarious designs of the enemy. He said that the love of the nation towards the Armed Forces of the country is eternal.

He added, "Martyrs of the country are our heroes and we will not forget their sacrifices." The Army Chief said, "We are facing a challenge in the form of hybrid war which is aimed at defaming the country."

He said that Pakistan is a peace-loving country but in case of any misadventure, its forces are well prepared to give a befitting response.

He said that September 6, 1965, reminds the nation of the sacrifices of Armed Forces who laid their lives to defend the country. "Those nations who forget sacrifices of their heroes do not survive," he said and added "The day is commemorated in memory of armed forces personnel and people who sacrificed their lives during the wars of 1965, 1971 and partition of Pakistan in 1948."

The COAS pointed out that Pakistan registered unparalleled successes in the war against terrorism which are an example for the whole world. He said that our soldiers stood like a rock wall in the years-long war against terrorists and foiled the nefarious designs of the enemy.

In addition, General Bajwa emphatically stated that Pakistan’s Armed Forces have not and will not refrain from any sacrifice for the defence of the motherland. He said that the country’s Armed Forces ensured the security of the motherland by rendering sacrifices both in the conventional war and the fight against terrorism.

Paying tributes to the martyrs and Ghazis, the Army Chief said that the entire nation is proud of their courage and resolve. He said that these sacrifices and courage and resolve of the entire nation is the guarantee of a bright future of Pakistan.

He stated that time had been testing Pakistan Army and the nation and we always stood together for achieving success against the odds. “Faith, unity and discipline are our guiding principles,” he added.

Earlier General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited martyrs’ monument on account of Defence Day and laid a floral wreath.

  The main ceremony of the Defence Day was held at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi to pay tributes to the martyrs.