Martyrdom of six officers confirmed as ISPR says wreckage of missing copter found

KARACHI: The wreckage of a military helicopter that went missing Monday night has been found in a coastal district of Balochistan and none of the six officers and crew on board has survived the crash, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday.
Commander 12 Corps Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ali, Major General Amjad Hanif, Brigadier Muhammad Khalid, Major Saeed Ahmed, Major M Talha Manan and Naik Mudassar Fayyaz were on board the Mi-17 helicopter of Army Aviation.
Lt Gen Ali was supervising relief operations in Balochistan, which has been hit hard by flash floods triggered by the heavy monsoon rains in the province.
“The wreckage of the unfortunate helicopter which was on flood relief operations has been found in Musa Goth, Windar, Lasbela [district of Balochistan],” DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar wrote on his verified Twitter handle.
“All six officers and soldiers, including Lt Gen Sarfaraz Ali embraced shahadat [martyrdom],” it added in the tweet. “As per initial investigations, the accident occurred due to bad weather.”
The helicopter went missing after losing contact with the air traffic control on Monday. The military mounted a search operation which was stymied by the difficult mountainous terrain of Lasbela district.
Commander 12 Corps Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ali was one of the brilliant officers of Pakistan Army. He held the most prestigious positions within the army during his illustrious career. He was a decorated officer who twice got Tamgha Basalat during the war on terrorism.
He also served as instructor in the Command and Staff College, Commander 111 Brigade, Director General Military Intelligence, and IGFC Balochistan in the most challenging times.
Lt Gen Sarfaraz Ali, who hailed from Lahore, is survived by his wife, a daughter and three sons. He was commissioned in 6 Azad Kashmir Regiment in March 1989 and served for 33 years in Pakistan Army.
Maj Gen Amjad Hanif was the Director General of Pakistan Coast Guard. A native of Rawalakot, AJK, he was commissioned in 19 Azad Kashmir Regiment in April 1994 and served for 29 years in Pakistan Army. He is survived by one daughter and two sons.
Brig Khalid was Commander Engineers 12 Corps. He ensured clearance of landmines and other such improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the erstwhile tribal regions during Operation Zarb-e-Azan.