Three Pakistan Army soldiers killed in explosion

Islamabad: Three soldiers of Pakistan Army, including an officer, lost their lives in a terrorist attack in North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday. Four soldiers were also wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Ghariom sector, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said.

The soldiers were identified as Lieutenant Nasir Hussain Khalid, 23, from Muzaffarabad, 33-year-old Naik Muhammad Imran from Faisalabad and 30-year-old Sepoy Usman Akhtar from Rawalpindi.

Homage for the young officer

Tributes poured in for the young officer who was killed in the attack. On social media, hundreds of people including government officials shared the photos of Lieutenant Nasir Khalid to pay their tributes to the fallen hero.

“Another brave heart sacrifices his life for the sanctity of his motherland, a mother returns his son to soil for the soul of the nation…Pakistan is indebted to you forever” the Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry wrote on Twitter.

Fakhr-e-Alam, a Dubai-based Pakistani singer and activist shared that the young hero was the only son and “an orphan” whose father was martyred while serving in police. “Make sure his mother knows she has millions of other children” he wrote.

“Brilliant Cadet”

Lt Nasir Khalid had completed the course from Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) and was a graduate of Royal Military College, Duntroon, Australia. Family and friends described him as “a brilliant cadet” and “a natural soldier” who had a very promising career ahead of him. “He was an orphan, whose father was also martyred for the very cause of motherland”, one of Khalid’s closest friends, Shahzad Ali, shared on Facebook. “We owe our freedom to such brave souls and their families,” said a Twitter user, Faisal Amin Khan.

Surge in attacks amid fencing

Pakistan’s tribal districts bordering Afghanistan have witnessed a spike in terror attacks on security forces after Pakistan started fencing its border to prevent terrorism, illegal crossings and drug trafficking. Nearly 1,700km of the total 2,600km Pakistan-Afghan border has been fenced. Pakistan’s border management strategy includes border terminals, scanners, biometric system, border posts, forts and fencing. Pakistan is also fencing its nearly 1,000-km border with Iran.