Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheef Sharif on Wednesday visited Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO) and inquired after the health of the wounded warriors of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb (ZeA).
During his visit to the AFIO, General Raheel paid tribute to their sacrifice and valour, saying, “We never give up and we never quit”.
“To date, 179 soldiers have lost their eyesight completely or partially due to IED blasts,” said an ISPR statement.
“At present, 56 valiant soldiers are undergoing treatment in the AFIO, 30 of whom have lost both their eyes,” it added.
During his visit, the COAS was given a detailed briefing on the pilot project of state-of-the-art Visual Rehabilitation Center for visually-disabled soldiers, which includes a computer lab, Braille, and vocational and recreational facilities.
He was informed that all efforts were being made for the complete treatment of patients whose eyesight could be restored.
General Raheel instructed the authorities concerned to provide the best possible medical treatment to the national heroes who “sacrificed their eyesight to help realise Quaid’s vision of Pakistan”.
He also appreciated the standard of treatment and medical care being extended by the team of doctors and paramedics at the AFIO.