At least nine soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred and four others suffered injuries after their vehicle plunged into a nullah in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Bagh district in the wee hours of Sunday, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.
According to a press release from the military’s media wing, the incident happened in Bagh district’s Shujaabad while the soldiers were on routine military duty.
It added that the injured were moved to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi while funeral prayers for the martyrs were offered at Mangla garrison.
The press release said Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and other military officials attended the funeral prayers.
The ISPR said the bodies will be sent back to their hometowns and buried with full military honours.
AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas expressed profound grief and sorrow over the tragic accident.
Pak Army soldiers met tragic accident in the line of their duty in most difficult and rough terrains-a duty that makes us feel safe & secure in our homes.May Allah accept their shahadat&grant speedy recovery to their injured colleagues. My condolences to bereaved families &🇵🇰Army
— Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan (@SardarTanveerIK) August 21, 2022
“Army soldiers met this tragic accident in the line of their duty in the most difficult and rough terrains — a duty that makes us feel safe and secure in our homes. May Allah accept their martyrdom and grant speedy recovery to their injured colleagues. My condolences to the bereaved families and Pakistan Army,” he tweeted.
Pak Army soldiers met tragic accident in the line of their duty in most difficult and rough terrains-a duty that makes us feel safe & secure in our homes.May Allah accept their shahadat&grant speedy recovery to their injured colleagues. My condolences to bereaved families &🇵🇰Army
— Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan (@SardarTanveerIK) August 21, 2022
Armed men present between Swat, Dir mountain tops, ISPR says.
It says these militants sneaked in from Afghanistan to native areas.
"Presence of militants anywhere will not be tolerated," ISPR adds.
RAWALPINDI: The military Saturday strongly responded to the reports claiming that a large number of militants belonging to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were present in Swat.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that during the past few days, a misperception about the presence of a large number of TTP’s armed members in Swat Valley has been created on social media.
"After confirmation on [the] ground, these reports have been found as grossly exaggerated and misleading," the military's media wing said.
The ISPR, however, noted that there is the presence of a small number of armed men has been observed on a few mountain tops between Swat and Dir has been observed — but it is located far away from the population.
These individuals, the ISPR said, had apparently sneaked in from Afghanistan to resettle in their native areas.
The military said that a close watch is being maintained on their limited presence and movement in mountains and required measures are in place by all law enforcement agencies for the safety and security of people of adjoining areas.
"The presence of militants anywhere will not be tolerated and they will be dealt with full use of force if required," the military warned.
Swat 'totally under control' of civil administration
Amid constant speculations regarding the heavy presence of militants in the Swat Valley, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police had also earlier clarified that it is aware of the videos circulating on social media.
KP Police Central Office, in a press release issued Thursday, said that police are also aware of the apprehensions of the general public that Swat may return to the 2008-09 era when militants ruled the valley with their version of Shariah.
Assuring the public that the police are fully cognizant of the fact that some individuals from Swat previously living in Afghanistan were present in far-flung mountainous areas of Swat, it said that the valley is "totally under the control" of civil administration and all law enforcing agencies are ready to respond to any incident.
It said that the peaceful society of Swat has no space for terrorism in any form and manifestation.
“LEAs are appropriately placed and will resort to all possible measures to ensure peace in Swat as per aspirations of the local populace,” the press release read.
Protests
Meanwhile, the local residents and members of the civil society on Friday staged protests in two tehsils of Swat to demand security after the reported resurgence of the militants in parts of the district.
Carrying banners and placards, the members of the civil society gathered at the Khwazakhela and Kabal bazaars. They were chanting slogans and asking the government to take measures to maintain peace in the district.
“The people of Swat suffered a lot during the previous military operation against the militants. The government must take steps before it’s too late,” said one of the protesters. They urged the police and security forces to take notice of the situation and take steps to maintain law and order in the scenic valley.
A Pakistan Army aviation helicopter en route from Quetta to Karachi with important personalities aboard has gone missing on Monday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed in a tweet.
A Pakistan army aviation helicopter which was on flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan lost contact with ATC. 6 individuals were on board including Commander 12 Corps who was supervising flood relief operations in Balochistan. Search operation is underway.DTF
Taking to Twitter, the military's media wing said that the aviation helicopter was on a flood relief operation in Lasbela, Balochistan when it lost contact with air traffic control (ATC).
"Six individuals were on board, including Commander 12 Corps who was supervising flood relief operations in Balochistan," the tweet said, adding that a search operation is underway.
According to details available with Geo News, Corp Commander Quetta Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ali, who was supervising the flood relief operations in the province, was also on board.
Per the details aired by Geo News, Major Syed was the pilot while Major Talha was the co-pilot of the helicopter. The Director-General of Coast Guards Brigadier Amjad, Engineer Brigadier Khalid, and chief naik Mudassir were also onboard.
The civil authorities and the Pakistan Army are currently busy with relief programmes in the province as the heavy rain spell has wreaked havoc there, claiming 147 lives.
Following the incident, the district administration said that a helicopter crashed in the vicinity of the Sassi Punnu Shrine, located near the Windar area, however, the ISPR is yet to confirm whether it was the same helicopter.
Local residents say that the helicopter was seen flying low after which it disappeared. Meanwhile, it was reported that the incident took place minutes before sunset (Maghrib prayers).
Deputy Inspector-General Khuzdar Pervez Imrani said that local police teams are also trying to find the helicopter. The area consists of mountain ranges which are creating difficulties in the search operation.
He further said that despite the difficulties caused by the terrain, police teams are trying to search the helicopter on motorcycles as well. A joint rescue operation of police and Frontier Corps has been underway for the last five hours.
Expressing concern over the disappearance of the helicopter, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted: "The disappearance of Army Aviation helicopter from Balochistan is alarming. The entire nation prays to Allah Almighty for the safety, security, and return of these sons of the country who came out to help the flood victims. Insha Allah."
PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan also expressed his concern and prayed for the missing.
"Disturbing news of army aviation helicopter missing and praying for all those on board," he tweeted.
