Copter crash martyrs laid to rest

RAWALPINDI: Namaz-e-Janaza of Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali Shaheed, Major General Amjad Hanif Shaheed and Brigadier Muhammad Khalid Shaheed was offered at Army graveyard here on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, federal ministers, Prime Minister of AJK Sardar Tanvir Ilyas, COAS General Qamar Kaved Bajwa, foreign dignitaries and a large number of senior serving and retired military and civil officials and relatives of Shuhhda attended the Namaz-e-Janaza.

A Pakistan Army military contingent presented guard of honour. The COAS presented the national flag to the relatives of Shuhada. Jasd-e-Khaki of Shaheeds were buried with full military honour at the Army Graveyard .

Earlier, a C-130 aircraft of Pakistan Air Force carrying bodies of Commander XII Corps, Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali Shaheed and Commander Engineers XII Corps, Brigadier Muhammad Khalid Shaheed arrived at the PAF Base, Nur Khan.

The officers had embraced martyrdom in a tragic accident on 01 August, 2022 alongwith four other military officials during flood relief activities. The funeral prayers of Pakistan Army soldiers martyred in a helicopter crash during the flood relief operations in Balochistan were offered in their native towns on Wednesday.

The funeral prayers of Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali, Commander 12 Corps, Balochistan, were offered at Shola Ground in the Quetta Cantonment. General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Army Staff, Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Chief Minister Balochistan, Jan Mohammad Jamali, Acting Governor Balochistan, Major General Shahab Aslam, GOC 33 Div, Major General Salman Moin, GOC 41 Div, Major General Amir Ahsan Nawaz, Commandant C&SC, Major General Shahid Imtiaz, Commandant SI&T, Major General Ali Raza Khan, Commandant Log Area, Major General Muhammad Yousaf Majoka, IGFC North, Major General Kamal Anwar Chaudhry, IGFC South, and Abdul Khalique Shaikh, Inspector General of Police, were prominent among others who attended the funeral prayers.

A day earlier, the ISPR had confirmed that the Pakistan Army helicopter that had gone missing Monday evening in Balochistan had crashed, leaving six military officials martyred.

The military media wing tweeted that the wreckage of unfortunate helicopter was found in Musa Goth, Windar, Lasbela, adding that the accident occurred due to bad weather.

General Sarfraz Ali, who was supervising the flood relief operations in the province, was among the six people on board. The other officers included Brig (approved Major General) Amjad Hanif, Brig Muhammad Khalid, Major Saeed Ahmed, Major M. Talha Manan and Naik Mudassar Fayyaz.

According to the ISPR, the Namaz-e-Janaza of Major Talha Shaheed was offered in Rawalpindi. Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Azhar Abbas, Commander Rawalpindi Corps Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, senior serving and retired military officials, relatives of the Shaheed and people from all walks of life attended the prayers.

Major Talha was buried with full military honour as a Pakistan Army contingent presented the guard of honour. Lt Gen Mirza presented the national flag to his father and also laid a wreath on his grave.

The funeral prayers of Naik Mudassar Fayyaz were offered in Shakargarh, Narowal. General Officer Commanding Sialkot Garrison, senior military and civil officials, including district police officer and deputy commissioner, attended the funeral. A Pakistan Army contingent presented a guard of honour to the Shaheed, while the national flag was presented to his family and a wreath was laid on his grave.

The Namaz-e-Janaza of Shaheed Major Saeed was held in Larkana. Commander Logistics Pannu Aqil Garrison, serving senior officers, soldiers, relatives, and a large number of people attended the prayers. The national flag was also presented to his father.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday telephoned Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa again and conveyed sympathies for the families of those martyred in the helicopter crash. The president, while discussing the chopper crash tragedy in Balochistan, said, “My sympathies are with the martyrs of Pakistan Army in this hour of grief.”

The president said that he would personally visit the residences of the bereaved families to convey condolence. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, has expressed deep sorrow and empathy over the loss of precious lives in the crash. In his condolence message, the Air Chief said, “May Allah bestow the departed souls higher ranks in the Heaven and grant patience to the bereaved families”.