Pakistan terror attacks: Army ready to combat 'threat from east', says General Bajwa

Islamabad: Hours after Pakistan was hit by another bomb blast, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said that despite internal security threats the army was fully prepared for an effective response against the "perpetual threat from the east".In an apparent reference to neighbouring India, the army chief made the remarks as a bomb blast in Lahore claimed 10 lives on Thursday."We all are proud to be soldiers of Pakistan and defending it irrespective of terrain or weather difficulties," he said, talking to troops at Goma and Gilgit, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations.Later, General Bajwa interacted with leaders of Gilgit-Baltistan region and assured them that the army was extending full support to all initiatives aimed at ensuring the rights of the region.The army launched a countrywide operation against militants on Wednesday following a series of terrorist strikes across the country, stating that the action was aimed at uprooting the terrorists and consolidating the gains made through other military operations in recent years.