LAHORE, May 24: Lieutenant Yasir Abbas, who laid down his life fighting terrorists during an attack on PNS Mehran in Karachi on Sunday, was laid to rest in Askari 10 Housing Society graveyard here on Tuesday.

Contingents of Navy, Air Force and Army presented a guard of honour when Yasir’s body wrapped in the national flag was buried.

Floral wreaths on behalf of President Asif Zardari, Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Lahore corps commander, the chief of staff of Pakistan Navy, PAF, the Rangers DG and the Commanding General of GHQ Rawalpindi were laid on the grave.

The coffin transported from Karachi to Lahore in the early hours of the day was kept at the CMH morgue until funeral prayers at 11am.

A large number of people belonging to various walks of life, including senior army and civil officers, attended the funeral prayers. Prominent among them were Governor Latif Khosa, Lahore Corps Commander Lt-Gen Rashid Mahmood, Punjab Rangers Director-General Maj-Gen Muhammad Nawaz, Naval Station Commander Akbar Naqi and Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhud.

Punjab Food Minister Chaudhry Ghafoor represented Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is at present abroad, while Safdar Chaudhry represented the Jamaat-i-Islami and Fawad Chaudhry the All-Pakistan Muslim League.

Taimoor, a close friend of Yasir, told Dawn his friend was desirous of embracing martyrdom. During a Lahore visit, Yasir had signalled towards the portrait of late Col Sher Khan in Cantonment, saying he (Taimoor) would see his (Yasir’s) portraits too when he would be martyred.

Taimoor said on the day the terrorists attacked PNS Mehran, family and friends had assembled at the residence of Yasir to plan his wedding ceremony.

Meanwhile, a private TV channel reported Yasir’s parents demanding Nishan-i-Haider for their son as the authorities had announced conferring on him Tamgha-i-Basalat.— Staff Reporter