In a solemn and emotionally charged funeral ceremony held in Islamabad, Pakistan bid farewell to seven-year-old Irtaza Abbas Turi, son of Lieutenant Colonel Zaheer Abbas Turi, who was killed during unprovoked Indian cross-border aggression in Dawarandi, Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
The funeral prayer, organized by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), brought together Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir. A large number of senior serving and retired officers, soldiers, officials, and family members also paid their respects.
The death of young Irtaza, along with other civilian casualties in the recent escalation, has sent shockwaves through the nation, underscoring the human cost of the worsening conflict between India and Pakistan.
Speaking after the funeral, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the Indian military’s actions, calling them a “reprehensible act of cowardice.” He said the deliberate targeting of civilians, including children and the elderly, revealed an “aggressive and hubristic mindset” in New Delhi that threatens not only regional peace but global stability.
“The Pakistani nation stands united in grief and resolve,” the Prime Minister declared. “Our Armed Forces are responding with full force and resolve across all fronts. These violations of international law and humanitarian principles will not go unanswered.”
President Zardari echoed the sentiment, emphasizing Pakistan’s readiness to defend its people and sovereignty. Both leaders offered prayers for the victims and called on the international community to take urgent notice of India’s actions.
“May Allah grant eternal peace to the departed souls of this cruel act of aggression by India and bestow strength upon their families to bear this irreparable loss. Ameen,” the joint statement concluded.
