Lt Arsalan Alam laid to rest with full military honours in native village

0
122

MURREE: Lieutenant Arsalan Alam, who was martyred in a cross-border attack on Saturday in Khyber Agency, was laid to rest on Sunday in his native village in Murree.

The 22-year-old officer was commanding a post in Rajgal Valley, which borders Afghanistan, when it came under fire from the Afghan side. Alam was martyred as a result of the attack.

Alam was laid to rest on Sunday in his native town of Gail, Murree with full military honours.

Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lt Gen Nadeem Raza, Murree GOC Maj Gen Azhar Abbas, Rawalpindi DCO and city police officer, a large number of people of the area and friends attended the funeral prayers in Murree.

FUNERAL PRAYERS HELD:

Earlier on Saturday, the funeral prayers of Lieutenant Arsalan Alam were offered at Peshawar Garrison.

The funeral prayers were attended by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, Peshawar corps commander, military, civilian officials and relatives of the martyred Army officer.

PM, PUNJAB CM EXPRESS GRIEF:

On Saturday, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had expressed grief over the martyrdom of Lieutenant Arsalan Alam.

In a statement issued by the PM Office here, the prime minister said the war against terrorism, in fact, is a war to ensure the country’s existence as a sovereign nation.

“Our valiant forces have inflicted huge damage upon terrorist elements but at the same time have rendered huge sacrifices in doing so. Each drop of blood of our heroes is a testament to the fact that we all are united as a nation to cleanse our beloved motherland from terrorist elements,” the prime minister remarked.

He prayed for peace of the departed soul and expressed sympathies with the bereaved family of the martyred Lt Arsalan Alam.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also expressed sorrow at Lt Arsalan’s martyrdom and said he was proud of the young officer.

In August, the armed forces had announced the completion of a military action, Khyber Four, in the inaccessible Tirrah Valley of Khyber Agency. The authorities claimed that almost all of the Rajgaal area had been cleared of militants as a result of the military operation.

The authorities have claimed that over 900 check posts have been constructed all across the Pak-Afghan border, in connection with the border management plan. Fencing and construction of concrete border walls are also in progress. According to the authorities, the Afghan government only has 220 check posts on its territory along the border.