ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top civilian leadership on Friday urged the nation to unite in order to fight the growing menace of terrorism and militancy.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his Defence Day address to the nation on Friday, said that September 6 symbolised unity and sacrifice.

The day is observed in Pakistan in memory of sacrifices given by Pakistani soldiers in the 1965 war when they bravely defended the country against an onslaught by the Indian military.

Sharif said that the sacrifices of Pakistan’s Army would always be remembered, declaring that the army’s resolve in the face of the current circumstances was inspirational.

The prime minister stressed that as Pakistan currently faces multiple security challenges such as terrorism and external aggression, the entire nation stands united beside the armed forces.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari also called for a renewed resolve in fighting militants in order to defend the country from all sorts of external and internal threats.

“Let us also pay homage to our sons and daughters who laid down their lives in the defence of the motherland. Their sacrifices will never go in vain,” President Zardari said in his message to the nation.

President Zardari observed that that the need to embrace the spirit of national unity and courage, as displayed by the armed forces in the 1965 war, was even greater today, as the country confronted new and far more serious challenges from militants, extremists and fanatics.

The president ended his speech by declaring that no other nation had paid such a heavy price in fighting militants and in safeguarding the rights of its people, to live in accordance with the democratic values for which Pakistan was created.