ISLAMABAD, AUG 2: President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday telephoned Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and expressed their deep grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of military officers and soldiers who were martyred in a helicopter crash in Balochistan.
In his phone call with the COAS, the President expressed deep grief and regret over 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.
He prayed for the highest rank and also expressed sympathies with the bereaved families.
Dr Alvi while paying tribute to the martyrs services for the country and the nation said that the sons of the nation were engaged in relief work related to floods in Balochistan and they performed their duty and worked very hard to serve the nation.
They martyred while performing their duties and serving the nation with great zeal, hard work and dedication, he said.
During his conversation with the Army Chief, he also mentioned the meeting with Corps Commander Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali and the briefing given by him during his previous visit to Gwadar. The President said that during the briefing, he found him as a very capable, intelligent and dutiful officer.
In a separate message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif too has expressed his grief over the martyrdom of the military officials. He said the entire nation salutes Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali, Director General Pakistan Coast Guards Major General Amjad, Pilot Major Saeed, Co-Pilot Major Talha, and Crew member Naik Mudassar for their supreme sacrifice.
The Prime Minister also commiserated with the bereaved families.
Earlier, in his Tweet, PM Shehbaz Sharif had expressed his deep grief and sorrow over shahadat of Corps Commander Quetta Lt. Gen. Sarfraz Ali and five other army officers and soldiers in an unfortunate helicopter accident in Lasbela.
The prime minister said the entire nation saluted Shaheed Lt. Gen Sarfraz Ali, DG Pakistan Coast Guard Major General Amjad Hanif, Commander Engineer 12 Corps Brigadier Muhammad Khalid, Pilot Major Saeed Ahmed, Co-Pilot Major M. Talha Manan and Crew Chief Naik Mudassar Fayyaz.
While expressing his condolence and sympathies with the bereaved families, the prime minister said these sons of the soil were the pride of nation who laid down their lives while saving the countrymen trapped in floods in Balochistan province. He said the entire nation was grieving over the gloomy incident.
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