PESHAWAR: Corps Commander of Peshawar Lt Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat on Thursday paid tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives and defended the country as gatherings, processions and ceremonies to commemorate the Yaum-i-Takreem Shuhada-i-Pakistan were held in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

Wreaths were placed at the martyrs’ memorial Yadgar-i-Shuhada at the Peshawar Corps Headquarters.

The corps commander, chief secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, officials of civil and armed forces, relatives of the martyred personnel, sports persons, students, doctors, teachers, members from religious minorities, religious scholars and traders were present on the occasion.

According to an official statement, the event was attended by IGP Akhtar Hayat Khan, Chief Capital City Syed Ashfaq Anwar, the commander of 102 Brigade, SSP Haroonur Rashid Khan, SSP (investigation) Shahzada Kokab Farooq, Chief Traffic Officer Qamar Hayat Khan, Commandant Campus Police Noor Jamal and SSP (Coordination) Ayesha Gul, women assistant commissioners and officers of the Pakistan Army, police and civil organisations.

Military, police officials place wreaths at memorials

The corps commander also visited the Police Martyrs’ Memorial where the honorable guest along with the chief secretary, IGP laid flowers at the police martyrs’ memorial and prayed for martyrs and national integrity and unity.

He paid tribute to the police over sacrifices in the war against terrorism and said martyrs and ghazis were the assets of the nation.

“The purpose of celebrating the Yaum-i-Takreem Shuhada-i-Pakistan Day is to pay homage to the martyrs of the forces, who have sacrificed their lives. They sacrificed their today for our better tomorrow,” he said.

The corps commander said every officer and soldier of the armed forces fulfilled the responsibility of protecting their homeland and would continue doing so.

He announced a grant of Rs100 million for the province’s police.

Similar events were held at the mausoleum of Captain Karnal Sher Khan in Swabi district.

The Peshawar corps commander laid a wreath there and paid tribute to the recipient of the gallantry award Nishan-i-Haider.

The corps commander was accompanied by senior civil and military officials besides representatives from the civil society, students from different schools and others.

An event was also held at the Punjab Regimental Centre in Mardan, where the commandant of the centre laid a wreath at the martyrs’ monument.

General Officer Commandant of the 9 Division Major General Mohammad Ahsan Khattak laid a wreath at the martyrs’ monument in Kohat. Similar events were held in North Waziristan and Khyber tribal districts.

Also, the inspector general of Frontier Corps (South) laid a wreath at the martyrs’ monument.

In Swabi, a rally was taken out to mark the Yaum-i-Takreem Shuhada-i-Pakistan.

Adviser to the chief minister Salma Ayaz led the participants, who included women in large numbers.

The day was also marked in Hazara division’s Mansehra, Torghar, Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts.

The Mansehra rally was attended among others by deputy commissioner Bilal Shahid Rao and district police officer Zahoor Babar Afridi. The participants held banners and placards and shouted slogans for martyrs.

Mr Rao and Mr Afridi later visited the houses of martyrs and met their family members. They also laid wreaths at the graveyards of martyrs and offered Fateha for the departed souls.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of Torghar district Ziaur Rehman Marwat led a Yaum-i-Takreem Shuhada rally in Judbah. The participants paid homage to the martyrs from the armed forces and police.

A similar rally was staged in the Dasu Bazaar of Upper Kohistan district.

Similarly, events and rallies were held in parts of the Lower Dir to observe the Yaum-i-Takreem Shuhada-i-Pakistan.

The district administration also arranged a function at the district assembly hall which was attended by deputy commissioner Iftikhar Ahmad, district police officer Tariq Iqbal and other officials.

In Haripur district, the police, forest, and education departments, tehsil municipal administration separately organised rallies to pay tribute to the martyrs of police and armed forces. The day was also marked in Kohat, Darra Adamkhel, Bajaur, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Tank, Charsadda and Dera Ismail Khan areas.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2023