ISLAMABAD, July 6: Wrapped in Pakistani flags, the bodies of 14 Pakistani peacekeepers, including six officers, arrived at the Chaklala Air base here on Tuesday where their last rites were offered with military honours.
The top brass of the army and air force paid tributes to those who laid down their lives in the line of duty as UN peacekeepers in Sierra Leone when their helicopter crashed on June 29.
The ISPR said a contingent of Pakistan Army joined UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone in June 2001. During the period since, the Pakistani troops have rendered valuable services under the UN flag for the restoration of peace in Sierra Leone, which has earned them accolade not only amongst the locals but also in the comity of nations.
Pakistani troops are deployed in eastern part of th country where besides restoring law and order situation, they have undertaken humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation tasks.
The Pakistani peacekeepers were on board a Russian MI-8 helicopter flying from Hastings to Yengema with 21 passengers of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) in addition to three pilots when the tragic accident happened.
According to the ISPR directorate, the crash happened when the helicopter was blinded by the jungle thicket, some eight kilometres from its final destination. As the coffins were brought for last funeral rites according to Islamic traditions, a smartly turned-out contingent of the Pakistan Army presented the guard of honour.
Floral wreaths were laid by the officials as a mark of respect to the peacekeepers. A press release issued by the ISPR said Joint Chief of Staff Committee chairman Gen Muhammad Aziz Khan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat, Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen Muhammad Yousaf Khan and a number of senior serving and retired officers of the armed forces, relatives of martyrs and people from all walks of life attended the last rites of the soldiers.
Later, ISPR said, the remains of the martyrs were taken to their ancestral cities and villages where they were buried with full military honours. According to ISPR, following are the names of Pakistani officials, who embraced Shahadat in the helicopter crash: Lt-Col Riaz Ahmed Khokhar, Lt-Col Ziauddin, Lt-Col Faizullah Khan, Major Hasnain Anwar, Capt Waqas Ahmed Mirza, Capt Murtaza Khalil Siddiqui, Sepoy Muhammad Zulfiqar, Sepoy Nazir Muhammad, Signal Operator Iftikhar Ahmed, Havaldar AFM Muhammad Iqbal, Lance Havaldar DMT Muhammad Jehangir, Naik AFM Muhammad Amir, Lance Naik DMT Muhammad Jamil and OCU Ahmed Khan.
