Bajwa made the comments while visiting Peshawar, according to an ISPR statement released the same day. "Always stay focused on your professional duties in the service of nation," he said in an address to the officers and troops of the Peshawar Corps. The sacrifices of the martyrs, he said, had enabled socio-economic development across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in general and the merged districts in particular. "We owe it to the sacrifices of our Shuhada for providing secure and enabling environment for socio-economic development in newly merged districts in particular and KP in general."
The COAS also laid a floral wreath at the martyrs monument upon arrival at the corps headquarters.
The Friday Times Editor Najam Sethi had separately said earlier in October that unprecedented presser of the DG ISI was convened to deliver a message to the rank-and-file of the military on how the force will remain unpartisan. This, Sethi said, was especially true for those military men wanting the army to intervene in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s favour. Sethi said the recently-promoted were those who believed in this policy too.