ISLAMABAD : President Dr. Arif Alvi on Tuesday telephoned Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and expressed his condolences over the martyrdom of the high-ranking army officers.
He expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of the army officers and soldiers in the helicopter crash while on a mission to provide relief to flood victims of Balochistan, a press release issued here by President’s Media Wing said.
The President offered his deep condolences to the Army Chief on the martyrdom of Corps Commander 12 Corps Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali, Director General Pakistan Coast Guard Major General Amjad Hanif, 12 Corps Brigadier Muhammad Khalid, Pilot Major Saeed Ahmed, Assistant Pilot Major Muhammad Talha Mannan and Naik Mudassar Fayyaz during the relief and rescue operations in aid of flood victims.
Expressing his deep sorrow and grief over the unfortunate incident, he prayed for the elevation of their ranks in Jannah and also expressed sympathy for their families for the irreparable loss.
Paying tribute to the martyrs’ services for the country and the nation, the President said that these officers were selflessly engaged in relief operations disregarding the danger posed to their lives to alleviate the suffering of the flood victims.
He added that the entire nation was indebted to them and saluted them for responding to the call of duty and providing relief to the people facing hardship due to heavy floods and bad weather.
During his conversation, the President affectionately recalled a briefing given to him by Corps Commander Lt. General Sarfraz Ali during one of his visits to Gwadar and said that he found the officer extremely capable and intelligent having exceptional management skills.
Chief of the Army Staff, while apprising the President of the unfortunate incident, said that the helicopter met an accident because of low visibility due to bad weather and added that the wreckage of the helicopter had been recovered and all military officers had embraced martyrdom.
During the telephonic interaction, the President said that he would personally attend the funerals of the martyrs and would personally offer his condolences to their families and relatives.