COAS says census will be completed at any cost, sacrifices will only strengthen resolve

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid rich tribute to the Pakistan Army personnel and civilians martyred in suicide bombing targeting a census team in Lahore on Wednesday.

COAS Gen Bajwa said that the soldiers and civil enumerators who embraced martyrdom today in the Lahore suicide attack were on census duty.

Calling the conduct of census a national obligation, the Army Chief said the loss of precious lives of the civil enumerators and soldiers is beyond any doubt a great sacrifice.

“The conduct of census will be completed at any cost. These sacrifices will only strengthen our resolve and with the support of the entire nation we will cleanse the menace of terrorism from our soil,” Gen Bajwa vowed.

“My heart goes out to the bereaved families and my highest tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives in the line of duty," Gen Bajwa said.

Six persons were martyred Wednesday morning in a suicide bombing targeting a census team and accompanying security personnel on Lahore's Bedian Road, government and security officials said.

The martyred included four security personnel, Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan said, adding that between 14 to 15 people were injured in the blast, which he confirmed as a suicide bombing.