RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said that no external forces can hurt Pakistan as long as the entire nation stands behind the country’s armed forces. “The army pays tributes to the mothers of all martyrs whose brave sons sacrificed their lives for our homeland. As long as the nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces, no one can harm Pakistan,” COAS said while speaking to an awards ceremony at General Headquarters (GHQ). Gen Bajwa said that although the armed forces have eliminated terrorism from the country, the war against extremism and extremist elements continues. He added that the nations that forget their martyrs fade out from history. The army chief continued that some elements are trying to disrupt peace in FATA. “There are elements inside and outside FATA that have started a movement to hurt the integrity of Pakistan, but they will not succeed in their attempts to do so,” he added. The ceremony was attended by officers and families of the martyrs who were presented various awards for services to the country. Two officers were awarded the Tamgha-e-Jurat and 33 officers and soldiers were given the Tamgha-e-Basalat.