RAWALPINDI: According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), funeral prayers were said on Saturday at Chaklala Garrison Rawalpindi in memory of the martyred Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar.
A day earlier, in a terrorist attack in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, the courageous officers accepted martyrdom.
Dignitaries such as President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar were present at the ceremony. There was also a sizable contingent of nearby residents and the martyrs’ families present.
The president was reported by the ISPR statement as saying, “The Pakistan Army has consistently upheld the ideals of Faith, Unity, and Discipline and has always endeavoured to set higher benchmarks of professionalism and loyalty in its unrelenting fight against terrorism.”
The speaker went on, “This honourable offering is yet another magnificent illustration of our brave sons’ unwavering commitment to defending our Motherland by making the ultimate sacrifice.” The people of the entire country support our armed forces.
According to the ISPR, the victims’ bodies were later returned to their individual hometowns where they will be buried with full military honours.
The terrorist attack that occurred yesterday claimed the lives of seven soldiers, including the 39-year-old Lieutenant Colonel from Karachi and the 23-year-old Captain from Talagang. The assault also claimed the lives of at least six terrorists.
According to the ISPR, soldiers stopped the first attempt to break into the army base early in the morning, but six terrorists later drove a car packed with explosives into it and detonated several suicide bombs.
Five courageous troops lost their lives as a result of the attacks, which caused a section of the building to collapse. Among the troops who lost their lives were Havildar Sabir, a citizen of Khyber district; Naik Khurshid, a citizen of Lakki Marwat district; Sepoy Nasir, a citizen of Peshawar; Sepoy Raja, a citizen of Kohat; and Sepoy Sajjad, a citizen of Abbottabad.
