THE nation, on Sunday, paid tribute to an officer who embraced martyrdom during an exchange of fire in Tirah Valley’s Bagh area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Khyber district. According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today, an exchange of fire took place between security forces and terrorists on August 9 during which Lieutenant Uzair Mehmood Malik was injured. He succumbed to his injuries and embraced martyrdom at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar on Sunday.
The martyrdom of yet another young officer in the line of duty is an undeniable proof of the sacrifices being rendered by the Pakistan Army in the ongoing campaign against terror, which is taking the toll of not only precious human lives but also the economy of the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rightly declared that the entire nation stood by the army in Pakistan’s war against terrorism, adding that the martyrs and their families were the pride of the country. It is because of the relentless struggle of the Pakistan Army and personnel of law-enforcing agencies that the country achieved major successes in addressing the threat to the peace, security and progress of Pakistan but the threat is resurging because of the support the terrorist networks receive from neighbouring Afghanistan. Pakistan carried out all round operations against all types of terrorist outfits for the sake of its own security and that of Afghanistan and the region but regrettably the rulers in Kabul have closed their eyes to the bloodshed that is being caused by terrorists operating freely from the Afghan soil. TTP has rightly been described as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ as it is continuously engaged in mischief-mongering in the name of a religion that preaches peace and equals killing of one soul to the killing of entire humanity. It is not a coincidence that the activities of the Khawarij increased ever since Pakistan started a campaign to deport Afghans living illegally in Pakistan. About 139 soldiers embraced martyrdom during the first seven months of the year and according to the annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high. It is regretted that despite the presence of such eye-opening data, some circles oppose the campaign against terror on flimsy grounds as part of their own political agenda. This tendency needs to be curbed as the country cannot make genuine progress without sustainable peace and stability.
