GILGIT: Four military personnel were martyred when a Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter crashed during a casualty evacuation in the Minimarg area of Astore district in Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday evening.

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the helicopter was evacuating the body of a shaheed soldier, Abdul Qadeer, to the Combined Military Hospital Skardu.

The ISPR said the helicopter crashed due to technical reasons.

The officers and soldiers who embraced martyrdom were identified as Pilot Major M. Hussain, Co Pilot Maj Ayaz Hussain, Naik Inzimam Alam and Sepoy Muhammad Farooq.

Maj Hussain belonged to Skardu, Maj Ayaz to Karachi, Naik Inzimam to Chakwal while Sepoy Farooq hailed from Sahiwal.

GB Information Minister Fatullah Khan expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.

He acknowledged the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan Army for the country.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2020