Lt Arsalan Alam Shaheed buried with full military honours in native village

MURREE: Lieutenant Arsalan Alam, who was martyred in a cross-border attack on Saturday in Khyber Agency, was laid to rest on Sunday in his native village in Murree.

The 22-year-old officer was commanding a post in Rajgal Valley, which borders Afghanistan, when it came under fire from the Afghan side. Alam was martyred as a result of the attack. 

Alam was laid to rest today in his native town of Gail, Murree with full military honours. 

Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lt Gen Nadeem Raza, Murree GOC Maj Gen Azhar Abbas, Rawalpindi DCO and city police officer attended the funeral prayers in Murree. 

His funeral prayers were also offered at Peshawar Garrison on Saturday and were attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Nazir Butt, the deceased's family members and senior military and civilian officials.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed sorrow over the loss of life and said the war on terrorism is a matter of survival for the country.

He added that the state will not rest till the elimination of terrorism from Pakistan and added operations against terrorism will continue.

In August, military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Operation Khyber-4 in Rajgal Valley had been successfully completed.

The operation was launched in July to wipe out terrorists in the valley by targeting their hideouts. The army then established a number of check posts in the border region to stem the movement of militants.