GILGIT: Two Pakistan Army personnel and a civilian machine operator were martyred in an avalanche in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Burzil Pass, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that a snow-clearing operation, led by Captain Asmad Gulfam, took place on the night of Friday and continued into Saturday morning, to facilitate troops moving in the area.
“At around 2am on Jan 3, 2026, while the subject operation was ongoing, a snow slide triggered, resultantly Captain Asmad [28, a resident of Lahore], along with two soldiers and a civilian machine operator, got entrapped,” the ISPR said.
The statement added that four individuals were rescued from the snow; however, the condition of Captain Asmad, Sepoy Rizwan (32, a resident of Attock) and machine operator Essa (a resident of Astore) deteriorated and the three embraced martyrdom.
“These individuals rendered the ultimate sacrifice by leading a challenging operation, in extreme weather conditions, to facilitate operational movement of forces,” the ISPR said.
“Their sacrifice and devotion to duty are a testimony to the fact that all ranks of the Pakistan armed forces are determined to defend the motherland and will not hesitate to lay down their lives in the line of duty and devotion to the cause,” it added.
Last month, two army personnel were seriously injured when a speeding oil tanker hit an army vehicle near Qazi Ahmed town along the National Highway in Nawabshah on Saturday.
The victims, identified as Mohammed Bakhsh and Mohammed Nadeem, were on their way to Sukkur from Karachi when their vehicle met with the accident.
Police and Rescue-1122 personnel reached the accident site and moved the victims to the Qazi Ahmed Taluka Hospital for emergency treatment. Later, one of them was referred to the People’s Medical University Hospital in Nawabshah due to his critical condition.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2026
