Iqbal orders bulletproof vehicles for FC personnel

Interior minister attends funeral of martyred Lt-Col Amir Waheed

ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of the increasing number of martyrdoms of Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in repeated ambushes on its convoys, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal has issued directives to procure bulletproof vehicles for the FC.

“The nation will undertake all possible steps to safeguard the territorial integrity and defence of our motherland,” the interior minister stated after attending the funeral of Lt Colonel Amir Waheed, who had embraced martyrdom in the Panjgur incident on Monday.

Militant ambush: Lt-Col among three soldiers martyred in Panjgur attack

The last rites of the martyred Lt-Col were offered at Ayub Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday, which was attended by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sadiq, senior military officers and Jawans.

According to details, three soldiers, including the Lt-Col, were martyred and as many injured in an attack by militants on a convoy of FC in Balochistan.

The FC convoy was travelling in Shangar, an area located between Panjgur and Washuk districts, when unknown militants attacked it. Lt-Col Waheed, Lance Naik Masood and Sepoy Irfan lost their lives in the attack, while Lt-Col Shajeeullah, a havaldar and a sepoy sustained injuries.

Three FC personnel martyred in Balochistan, Khyber Agency

After the Namaz-e-Janaza of Lt-Col Waheed, the interior minister said, “The blood of our martyrs will bear fruition in making our dear motherland a cradle of peace.

“With such cowardly attacks, the enemy cannot weaken our resolve to eliminate terrorism from our soil and reap benefits of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” he said, adding that Pakistan is a strong nation and will foil all attempts of destabilising it.

Two FC personnel injured in Chaman roadside blast

The interior minister said, “As acts of terrorism in Balochistan have been carried out from across the porous border, the government is fencing the western border in order to safeguard our frontiers from intrusive activities of terrorists.”