RAWALPINDI: Outgoing Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has said that his retirement will not affect his goals to protect the homeland and he will always remain a soldier.
General Sharif was addressing the ceremony here on Tuesday after passing the baton of the army to the new Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The ceremony was held in the Army Hockey Stadium, close to the General Headquarters (GHQ).
In his final speech as army chief, General Sharif said that the challenges are not over yet and stressed the need for institutions to work together for the nation’s progress.
“It is important that all institutions work together against external threats and internal threats. For this, we will need to follow the National Action Plan in letter and spirit,” he said.
“Our challenges are not yet over. We have made gains over the past year. It is necessary that we never forget the sacrifices of those who lost their lives… Our journey towards peace is still underway. Our destination is not far.”
The outgoing COAS also cautioned India against adopting an aggressive stance in the region.
“The army will remain alert to threats, whether external or internal. India should know that mistaking our policy of patience for weakness would be dangerous,” he warned.
The general also paid tribute to those who had lost their lives for the nation and made sacrifices in the war against terrorism.
“We were able to change the face of history by fighting a war against terrorism,” he said.
The outgoing army chief reviewed the guard of honour upon his arrival at the venue. Prior to the ceremony, Gen Raheel laid a wreath at the Yadgar-i-Shuhada.
The ceremony was attended by Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Minister of State for Information Maryam Aurangzeb, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and PPP leader Abdul Qadir Patel were present at the ceremony, alongside former army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani.
