Martyred Major Ishaq laid to rest with full military honours

Pakistan Army Major Ishaq was laid to rest with full military honours at the Shauda Qabristan at Cavalry Ground in Lahore on Thursday. 

The soldier embraced martyrdom in an exchange of fire during a search operation at a terrorist hideout in Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old martyr belonged to Khushab, Punjab, and has left behind a widow and an infant.

Earlier on Thursday, funeral prayers were offered for Major Ishaq at Ayub Stadium in Lahore.  The funeral prayers were attended by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Corps Commander Lahore Lt. General Amir Riaz and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique. 

Major Ishaq’s mother briefly spoke with reporters, saying he was the youngest of her three sons. “He will come to me, I am sure. I have faith in Allah.”

With tears in her eyes, she added: “He is a very good son, a Hafiz-e-Quran and he was granted Shahadat (martyrdom) by Allah.” 

Funeral prayers of the deceased was also held in Dera Ismail Khan, and was attended by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other high-ranking officials, including Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Nazir Butt.

In his tweet, the ISPR chief said, "We have a sacred duty at hand of cleansing & defending our motherland; WE SHALL DO IT".

In a follow-on tweet, Ghafoor reiterated that sacrifices by the martyrs of the motherland will not go in vain or will be compromised upon.

The martyred official is the fourth officer to be killed in the line of duty in the past three months.

On November 13, Captain Junaid Hafeez and Sepoy Raham were martyred in a cross-border attack by terrorists from Afghanistan in Bajaur Agency.

Four other troops were injured in the assault on the border post.

On Nov 9, sepoy Mohammad Ilyas was martyred during an exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber Agency. On October 3, another soldier had embraced martyrdom after terrorists fired from across the Afghan border on a post.

The incident had occurred at the recently cleared area around Mustil pass, an important passage from Afghanistan into Rajgal, in Khyber Agency. The martyred soldier was identified by ISPR as Naib Subedar Azher Ali.

On September 23, another officer embraced martyrdom during firing by terrorists from across the border in Rajgal, Khyber Agency.

Lieutenant Arsalan Alam, who was commanding the post when he got hit, was 22 years old.

On August 9, a major and three soldiers laid down their lives during a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Major Ali Salman — who hailed from a 'secret agency' — was leading a team in an anti-terrorist operation in Timergara, Dir when a suicide bomber attacked them.