KARACHI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Raheel Sharif said on Saturday that the battle against terrorism cannot be won by the armed forces alone and he was encouraged to see the whole nation pursuing the national effort with a great sense of purpose.

Army Chief General Raheel Sharif made the statements while addressing the passing-out parade ceremony at the Pakistan Naval Academy, PNS Rahbar in Karachi's Manora island as the chief guest, according to a series of tweets posted by Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Bajwa.

General Raheel Sharif said that the entire world endorses Pakistan's security concerns and added that ceasefire violations, bloodshed in Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Karachi manifest the enemy's hostile intent.

"Entire nation expresses the resolve to eliminate the menace of terrorism. Operation Zarb-i-Azb is delivering decisive results and terrorists resorting to desperate actions," he further said.

The army chief added that Pakistan has been willing to cooperate with other nations for peace but not at the cost of national interest, sovereign rights and national pride.

He said, "We are ready to pay any price to protect our nationhood and safeguard Pakistan's interests, be it Kashmir, development of new ports or exploitation of natural resources."

General Raheel Sharif also said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with the Gwadar Port as its catalyst, will be built and developed as one of the most strategic deep sea ports in the region at any cost.

"CPEC holds enormous potential for transforming the lives of people in the region," said the army chief adding that the armed forces are acutely aware of enemy campaigns and will defeat designs against it.