Army officer dies after falling into ditch near motorway as containers blocked route: ISPR

Published October 29, 2016
Containers set up by police as a roadblock on the motorway. —AFP
Containers set up by police as a roadblock on the motorway. —AFP

An officer of Pakistan Army, Lt Col Shahid, died on Saturday evening after falling into a ditch near Hazro on the Rawalpindi-Peshawar Motorway, while another officer sustained serious injuries, the military’s media wing said.

According to the statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations, Lt Col Shahid and Maj Jalal were travelling from Rawalpindi to Nowshera in a military convoy.

“Since the routes were blocked with containers, both officers got down from vehicles and were on foot to find an alternate route for the convoy,” the statement read.

“In the dark of the night both officers fell from the road edge into a ditch along the motorway near Hazro,” it added.

Due to the incident, Shahid died on the spot while Jalal sustained serious injuries.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan held the government responsible for blocking roads.

PTI Leader Jahangir Khan Tareen expressed grief over the incident and held the authorities responsible for the incident.

"Saddened to hear about the tragic death of Colonel Shahid due to blockage of GT Road. Responsible authorities should be made answerable asap," he tweeted.

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