Army Chief General Raheel Sharif left for Bannu after visiting North Waziristan on Defence Day, which was spent with troops participating in the Zarb-i-Azb operation, DawnNews reported.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said that the internally displaced persons from the North Waziristan operation would be allowed to return to their homes soon.

In the restive agency earlier today, the army chief said that troops would rid North Waziristan of terrorists, adding that the role of the army in the operation is laudable.

Army troops are currently engaged in the Zarb-i-Azb operation in North Waziristan aimed at ridding the area of local and foreign militants.

The operation was launched on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on Karachi's international airport and the failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.

Pakistan celebrating Defence Day

The Defence day of Pakistan was being celebrated throughout the country with renewed pledge and commitment to defend the country and to commemorate the fallen heroes of the September 1965 War.**

Pakistan’s top civilian leadership in its messages on the occasion paid tributes to the soldiers and praised the role of the armed forces in ensuring the country's security. The leadership also pledged to fulfill all professional needs of the armed forces required to render Pakistan's defence impregnable.

President Mamnoon Hussain in his message paid his respects to the soldiers who have laid their lives for the country's defence and said the armed forces were fully capable of tackling security threats.

A ceremony involving change of guards also took place at the tomb of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi and a number of events are scheduled to take place in relation to the day.

The day is observed on September 6 in memory of sacrifices rendered by Pakistani soldiers during the 1965 war.