LAHORE: Funeral prayers of Pakistan Army soldier, Usman Arshad who embraced martyrdom in cross-border shelling by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC), have been offered on Wednesday in his native village of Dunyapur Chak 360, Lodhran district.
A large number of people including martyr’s relatives, colleagues and military officials attended the last rites. Pakistan Army personnel presented Guard of Honour to the martyred soldier.
The martyred sepoy had joined Pakistan Army’s Baloch Regiment three years back.
“Usman’s martyrdom has made me proud,” the martyr’s mother said.
On Tuesday, another martyr of the incident Naik Muhammad Tariq Mehmood’s funeral prayers were offered at his native town Jhelum.
He was laid to rest amid a large presence of friends, family members and other civilian and military officials.
The martyred soldier has left behind a widow and two children. His father Noor Muhammad said the martyrdom of his son has made the family proud.
The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday summoned India’s acting deputy high commissioner to condemn the ceasefire violation which took place on December 25th and resulted in the martyrdom of three Pakistan Army soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) inside Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).
The firing by Indian forces in Rakhchikri sector of the Poonch district of Azad Jammu Kashmir had provided a cover for the planting of the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by non-state actors, which resulted in the martyrdom of three soldiers, according to an FO statement put out in response to the incident.
The Foreign Office categorically rejected claims by the Indian media that Indian forces had crossed the Line of Control to attack Pakistani troops. “The false claims by India about the alleged cross-LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination and counter-productive for peace and tranquillity on the Line of Control,” the statement said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) also denied Indian claims that their troops had crossed over the Line of Control. “No Indian soldier crossed over Line of Control,” the statement read. “Indian media claim is a continuation of their self-defeating projections to satisfy the domestic audience.”