UNITED NATIONS: Seven Pakistani soldiers were among 77 UN military, police and civilian personnel whose names were read out at a candle-lighting ceremony at the UN headquarters on Wednesday evening.

Secretary-General António Gute­rres and other senior officials bowed their heads in respect as the names of the martyred soldiers echoed across the UN building during the ceremony which was broadcast live.

Seven candles were also lit for Pakis­tan, one each for Muhammad Ismail, Faizan Ali, Asif Ali Awan, Samiullah Khan, Muhammad Saad Nomani, Muham­mad Jameel Khan and Babar Siddique.

“This loss is felt by the families in each and every walk of life, in every moment and every time that we share with our kids,” said Dr Mariam Aamir, the widow of one of the 77 slain soldiers.

Her husband, Major Faizan Ali, and five other Pakistani soldiers, lost their lives in a helicopter crash in the North Kivu area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in July last year.

The seventh soldier, Babar Sidd­i­que, was killed in an attack on the UN mission’s operational base in Mine­mbwe, South Kivu, in September 2022.

They were part of a surveillance and reconnaissance mission, known as MONUSCO, in an area where clashes had taken place between a rebel militia and the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“I am very proud of my husband’s sacrifice for world peace and security,” said Dr Mariam Aamir, who represented families of the martyred Pa­k­istani soldiers at the memorial service.

“The huge sacrifice and loss that every martyr’s family has to face cannot be described. It’s very difficult for us, despite all the respect and the honor that is bestowed upon my daughter and I,” she said in a message recorded on behalf of the martyrs’ families.

Dr Aamir also met the UN secretary-general and other dignitaries who attended the service.

“My country Pakistan has always been on the forefront of the peacekeeping operations,” said the widow of the martyred Pakistani major.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2023