Ultimate sacrifice: Asim Munir on death of Pak major tied to Abhinandan's capture
Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir attended the funeral prayer of Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah, the Pakistani Army officer killed in a clash with the Taliban militants at the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir attended the funeral prayer of Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah. (File photo)(AP)
As he attended Shah's funeral, Munir recognised his "ultimate sacrifice" and said that Pakistan owed an "eternal debt" to its martyrs. Syed Moiz Abbas Shah was the one who claimed Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman's capture in 2019 after his jet was shot down in an aerial dogfight.
The dogfight took place after India's Balakot air strike on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack nearly a fortnight prior to that on February 14.
"The entire nation stands united in grief and pride, saluting his ultimate sacrifice for the defence of the country. We owe an eternal debt to our martyrs. The blood of our Shuhada is the foundation of our nation's strength," Munir reportedly said, according to an Express Tribune report.
Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah was an officer of Pakistan Army's Special Services Group. He was commissioned into the Pakistani Army in 2011, and later became part of the Special Services Group (SSG).
He was killed during a clash with Taliban militants in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan. In the same operation, 11 terrorists belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed by the Pakistani Army.
'Major Syed Moiz Abbas fought bravely in the face of resistance and ultimately laid down his life in the line of duty, upholding the highest traditions of bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism,' the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement quoted Munir as saying.
The Pak Army officer's funeral took place in his hometown at Chaklala Garrison in Rawalpindi. Abhinandan Varthaman's capture
Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was part of the Combat Air Patrol and was captured in 2019 after Pakistan's airstrikes in response to the Balakot Airstrike by India.
The Balakot Airstrike was an Indian operation targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammad training camp in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan had deployed around 24 fighter jets to target Indian military installations, which led to a 10-minute aerial dogfight between the two countries on February 27, a day after the Balakot airstrike.
Abhinandan Varthaman's jet was shot down in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and he was held captive for about 60 hours and was returned to India on March 1, 2019.
Just moments before his MiG-21 Bison was shot down and he was forced to eject, Abhinandan Vardhaman successfully shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet.
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