Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday visited Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO) and met the wounded soldiers of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. COAS paid rich tribute to the sacrifice and valour of these heroes, an ISPR news release stated. “We never give up and never quit”, he said.

Till date a total 179 soldiers have lost their complete or partial eyesight due to Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts. At present 56 soldiers are undergoing treatment in the Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, 30 of whom have lost their eyesight. The COAS spent time with them and inquired about their well being.

During his visit to AFIO, COAS was given a detailed briefing on pilot project of state of the art Visual Rehabilitation Center for visually disabled soldiers which includes computer / IT Laboratory, Braille, vocational and recreational facilities. The COAS was informed that all efforts are being made to retrieve the eyesight of those injured soldiers for whom there remained hope. General Raheel Sharif instructed all concerned to leave no stone unturned to provide the best medical treatment to “national heroes” who have sacrificed their eyesight to help realize the Quaid’s vision for Pakistan. The COAS appreciated the standard of treatment and medical care being extended by dedicated teams of doctors and paramedical staff at AFIO. Earlier on arrival, the COAS was received by Lieutenant General Anwar Ali Hyder, Lieutenant General Syed Muhammad Imran Majeed and a General Pakistan army surgeon.