ISLAMABAD/ PESHAWAR: 11 Pakistan Army personnel, including Lt Col Junaid Tariq and Major Tayyab Rahat, embraced martyrdom during a fierce overnight gun battle with Indian-sponsored militants in Orakzai District, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday.
According to ISPR, the intelligence-based operation was launched on the night of 7–8 October following reports of the presence of militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, identified as an Indian proxy network. During the engagement, nineteen terrorists were killed as Pakistani troops carried out precise strikes on their positions.
Despite the successful operation, the Army suffered heavy losses. Leading from the front, Lt Col Junaid Tariq (39) and Maj Tayyab Rahat (33) fought gallantly until they embraced shahadat, along with nine other soldiers.
The fallen heroes included Naib Subedar Azam Gul (38, Khyber), Naik Adil Hussain (35, Kurram), Naik Gul Ameer (34, Tank), Lance Naik Sher Khan (31, Mardan), Lance Naik Talish Faraz (32, Mansehra), Lance Naik Irshad Hussain (32, Kurram), Sepoy Tufail Khan (28, Malakand), Sepoy Aqib Ali (23, Swabi), and Sepoy Muhammad Zahid (24, Tank).
ISPR said sanitization operations are ongoing to clear the area of remaining militants. “The security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country,” the statement emphasized, adding that the supreme sacrifices of the fallen soldiers “further strengthen our national resolve.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir attended the funeral prayers of Lt Col Junaid Tariq and Major Tayyab Rahat, two of the eleven soldiers who embraced martyrdom during an intelligence-based operation against Indian-backed militants in Orakzai District.
The funeral, held at Chaklala Garrison, Rawalpindi, was attended by federal ministers, senior military and civil officers, and a large number of citizens who gathered to pay their respects to the fallen heroes.
According to ISPR, both officers – Lt Col Tariq (39) and Maj Rahat (33) – hailed from Rawalpindi and were part of the operation targeting elements of Fitna al-Khawarij, described as an Indian proxy network. Paying tribute to the martyrs, the prime minister said the entire nation stands united against terrorism and remains determined to defend the motherland at all costs.
He added that the supreme sacrifices of the armed forces are a testament to Pakistan’s unyielding resolve in the fight against terror.
The martyrs will be laid to rest in their native towns with full military honours.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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