ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, on Wednesday attended the funeral of seven-year-old Irtaza Abbas Turi, who was martyred in an Indian airstrike.
Seven-year-old Irtaza Abbas Turi was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Zaheer Abbas Turi. His funeral was held with full military honours in Islamabad on Wednesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated in a press release.
The child was martyred in Dawarandi village in Poonch district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in “unprovoked Indian cross-border shelling”, according to ISPR.
The solemn ceremony was attended by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, and several senior serving and retired military officers, civil servants, and relatives of the martyr.
Speaking at the funeral, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned India’s “unprovoked aggression” and called the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians — especially children, women, and the elderly — a “cowardly and barbaric act.”
The Prime Minister said “such actions underscore the reckless and arrogant mindset of the Indian leadership”, which continues to endanger both regional and international peace.
President Zardari and PM Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to respond forcefully to Indian aggression on all fronts, stating that violations of international law and humanitarian norms will not go unanswered.
The top leadership prayed for the young martyr and others affected by Indian attacks. “May Allah grant eternal peace to the departed souls and bestow strength upon their families to endure this irreparable loss,” they said in a joint prayer.
The tragic incident has further fuelled tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, as Pakistan’s leadership continues to denounce India’s escalation along the Line of Control (LoC) and its targeting of non-combatants.
