Islamabad: Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, addressing the Pakistani community in Washington, said that the military operations in Pakistan against terrorists, their backers and financiers would continue uninterrupted.

National dailies on Saturday reported details of his address to the members of the community at a dinner on Thursday.

The army chief said the armed forces would take the war against terrorism to its logical conclusion.

He said the armed forces would not let the sacrifices of martyrs go in vain.

The speech, which was embargoed till morning of Friday, the last day of his five-day official visit to the US, also highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to friendly relations with its neighbours “with dignity and honour”.

Gen Sharif noted that Pakistan and the United States had convergence of views on countering the existing and emerging threats.

He expressed satisfaction at the upward trajectory and growth in the Pakistan-US defence and counter-terrorism cooperation at this critical juncture.

The army chief said that the American officials he met during his five-day visit to Washington endorsed his assessment that the ongoing Zarb-i-Azb military operation in Pakistan against terrorism was a success story.

He said that the resilient Pakistani nation was providing unprecedented support to the armed forces that had lost 5,000 men in uniform in this fight, including those from the Rangers and police.

The armed forces, he said, had conducted 12,000 intelligence-based operations in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and hundreds of militants and their sympathisers had been arrested.

“There is no going back now. The operations will continue,” he said. “I see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Gen Sharif said that the Indian intelligence agency RAW was on top of the list of foreign elements that were stirring troubles in Pakistan.

He said that simultaneous with the return of peace and normalcy to the country, the completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project would herald greater economic prosperity throughout the region.

China, Iran and Afghanistan would also benefit from this project, he said.

During the visit, the army chief had meetings with US political and military leaders.

He met US Vice-President Joe Biden on Thursday and the White House said in a statement that the two addressed ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations.

According to the statement the vice-president reaffirmed US interest in building a strong partnership with Pakistan that addressed shared counter-terrorism, economic and regional security concerns.

“Both leaders reaffirmed their strong commitment to peace in Afghanistan and the important role that the United States and Pakistan can play to support a reinvigorated reconciliation process in coordination with Afghanistan,” it said.