Says terrorists not to be allowed to flee from Shawal; attends funeral prayers of four soldiers killed in NWA clash; terrorists came to Shawal from Afghan side
PESHAWAR: Paying glowing tributes to the courage and sacrifices of the martyred soldiers, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif said on Sunday the security forces would go to any length to dismantle the network of the terrorists from every nook and corner of the country.
The army chief came to Peshawar to attend the funeral prayers of the four soldiers, including a captain, who were killed in a clash with the militants in the remote Shawal valley in North Waziristan. The slain soldiers were identified as Captain Umair Yasir Abbasi, who hailed from Abbottabad district, Havaldar Hakim Ali and Sepoys Rashid and Hameed. Their bodies were first brought to Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, from where they were shifted to Peshawar in a military helicopter.
The funeral prayers for the martyred soldiers were offered at the spacious lawns of the Corps Headquarters in Peshawar. Besides the army chief, Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt Gen Hidayatur Rehman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker and acting Governor Asad Qaiser and senior civil and military officials attended the funeral prayers.
General Raheel expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and later visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Peshawar to meet the injured soldiers.
The army chief expressed satisfaction over the final phase of the military operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan to evict the remaining terrorists from their isolated pockets in the mountainous Shawal valley in Dattakhel subdivision close to the Pak-Afghan border. He paid rich tributes to the martyred soldiers and praised them for their sacrifices and resilience. He said terrorists will not be allowed to flee from Shawal.
“We are determined and will go to any length to finish all pockets of terrorists from every nook and corner of the country,” Gen Raheel pledged after offering the funeral prayer.
The army chief visited the Corps Headquarters where Corps Commander Lt Gen
Hidayatur Rehman briefed him about the progress of the action against the militants in Shawal valley. It was revealed that the terrorists came to Shawal after crossing the Pak-Afghan border.
When the army chief, during a visit to Shawal three days ago, announced that the military operation in North Waziristan has entered its last phase, it generated hopes among the tribespeople of North Waziristan that they would finally be able to return home after being uprooted prior to the massive offensive against the militants on June 15, 2014.
However, Saturday’s incident in Shawal caused concern among the displaced tribespeople as they were worried that this could delay their repatriation to North Waziristan. The government had earlier planned to send back all the IDPs to their homes by December 2016.
Senior security officials told The News that most of the areas in North Waziristan had been cleared of the militants and efforts were underway to eliminate their last sanctuaries in Shawal. The father of Captain Umair Abbasi, who has retired from the Pakistan Army as lieutenant colonel, also paid rich tributes to his son and other martyred soldiers.
“I am proud of my son Umair Abbasi Shaheed. Our spirits are high. Our aims are high. My son was very dear to me. He was a competent and professional soldier. He was number one due to his skills and aptitude towards various issues,” remarked Lt Col (retd) Zahid.
He said it was a proud moment not only for him and his family but for the Army, the country and the entire nation that his son laid down his life for the defence of his country. “I am proud that my son embraced martyrdom under the command of a brave soldier like General Raheel Sharif. My younger son is also serving in the Pakistan Army and I have requested the army chief to deploy him as well in the place where Captain Umair Abbasi embraced martyrdom,” his father said.
Meanwhile, General Raheel Sharif also met an Afghan Army soldier Alam Zeb at the CMH Peshawar. The Afghan soldier was critically injured when terrorists fired at the Afghan side of the border. He was evacuated to a Pakistani post in Kitkot area in Bajaur Agency. The soldier was given first aid at the post and was later taken to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Khar in Bajaur Agency. He has been under treatment at the CMH Peshawar since February 26.