Islamabad: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday conducted an aerial survey of the area in Siachen sector where Pakistani troops are involved in a frantic search for 138 people, mostly soldiers, buried under dozens of feet of snow following an avalanche that hit an army camp 11 days ago.
The visit to Gyari area by the President, who is the supreme commander of the armed forces, was aimed at expressing solidarity with the troops and monitoring the search and rescue efforts underway at the site.
State-run television beamed footage of Zardari, clad in black, conducting a survey of the site of the avalanche in a helicopter along with army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and senior military officials.
"The President, during his visit, had an aerial view of the search and rescue activities being undertaken by the army personnel," an official statement said.
He was given a detailed briefing about the operation by Force Command Northern Areas Commander Maj Gen Ikram-ul-Haq.
The President appreciated efforts being made by the army in the search operation and paid tributes to the soldiers, saying the country was "indebted to these sons of the soil and prays for them from the very core of their hearts".
He directed officials to use all available resources to expedite the operation "in view of any possible snow slides due to temperature rise".
Earlier in the day, Zardari and Interior Minister Rehman Malik flew from Islamabad to Skardu, the town nearest the site of the avalanche.
Zardari was scheduled to visit the Siachen sector on Monday but the trip was put off due to bad weather.
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