RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Siachin on Thursday and laid wreath at Gyari’s Yadgar-e-Shuhada. He said that we owe our independence to sacrifices of our martyrs. Nothing is nobler than laying one’s life while defended the motherland. While talking to the troops at Goma and Gilgit, COAS said that we are all proud to be soldiers of Pakistan and defending it irrespective of land or weather difficulties. He said that despite facing internal security challenges, we are fully prepared for to effectively respond to continuous threat from the East. Later, the COAS interacted with notables of Gilgit-Baltistan. COAS assured them that the army is extending full support to all initiatives aimed at ensuring the rights of Gilgit-Baltistan as part of the federation. Earlier, on arrival at Skardu, Bajwa was received by Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza.