Nine soldiers martyred in AJK road accident

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 area 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. “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 accepts their martyrdom and grants speedy recovery to their injured colleagues,” he tweeted.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed grief and sorrow over the accident.
In a statement, he condoled with the families of the nine soldiers who were martyred in the accident. He said the nation saluted the sons who were martyred while performing their sacred duty to defend the motherland.

Expressing sorrow, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudus Bizenjo said, “I am deeply saddened by the martyrdom of nine soldiers of the Pakistan Army in the tragic accident,” he said.