KARACHI, July 18: Captain Karnal Sher, whose body reached here from Delhi on late Saturday night with that of an unidentified soldier, was not killed in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
According to a senior ISPR official, the Pakistan army officer embraced martyrdom while repulsing an Indian attack on posts in the Pakistan-controlled area near the Line of Control in one of the three LoC violations by Indian troops in the last few weeks.
The official said since the martyrdom of Karnal Sher on June 28 Indian forces had been making claims that Pakistan troops were fighting along Mujahideen on peaks that dominate Kargil and Drass.
He said that with the possession of his body, India was trying to give credence to its allegations by simply giving a false account of the circumstances that preceded the death of the Pakistani officer.
He said Karnal Sher was posted at a place known as the Shushma Sector on the Line of Control at a height of 18,400 feet, adding that these heights were normally not manned because of their formidable heights and hostile weather.
The official said the posting of Pakistani troops in the Pakistan-controlled area on the LoC was necessitated because India had posted around 30,000 troops near that area on the pretext that it wanted to flush out around 250 "intruders" from the Kargil and Drass sectors.
He said when 30,000 more troops were advanced by India with 60 war planes to the LoC in May, it became imperative for the Pakistan Army defence strategists to man troops on all such areas in anticipation of a massive violation of the LoC by Indian troops.
The ISPR official said the posting of Karnal Sher with 24 others was a part of that defence strategy, adding that India violating the LoC attacked the posts in that sector and initially controlled two of the Pakistani posts on June 18.
Karnal Sher, who secured a backup support of 50 more troops, launched a counter attack on June 27 and the next day he embraced martyrdom.
The retreating Indian troops, he said, took away the body of Karnal Sher to make claims that the Pakistan army officer was killed with Mujahideen.
"Our brother has fulfilled the wish of our grandfather," said Sikandar Sher, the eldest brother of Karnal Sher at the Old Terminal of Karachi Airport moments before a PIA flight carrying the bodies of two soldiers landed there.
He said their grandfather, who had taken an active part in the Kashmir cause, had named their youngest brother after one of the greatest freedom fighters Karnal Sher who earned the highest army award "Nishan-i-Kashmir" for his heroics in 1948 in Kashmir.
When his talk continued, a PIA plane touched down on the tarmac and after a few minutes two coffins wrapped in Pakistan flags emerged from the plane.
Their funeral prayers were offered by alarge number of Pakistan army troops, who included officers and jawans from the Malir garrison and various military units in Karachi, high ranking civil and military officials, politicians and civilians.
Earlier, a number of people who were not allowed entry to the tarmac area by the airport security staff alleged that they were shunted out because of their party affiliations.
According to a senior ISPR official, the Pakistan army officer embraced martyrdom while repulsing an Indian attack on posts in the Pakistan-controlled area near the Line of Control in one of the three LoC violations by Indian troops in the last few weeks.
The official said since the martyrdom of Karnal Sher on June 28 Indian forces had been making claims that Pakistan troops were fighting along Mujahideen on peaks that dominate Kargil and Drass.
He said that with the possession of his body, India was trying to give credence to its allegations by simply giving a false account of the circumstances that preceded the death of the Pakistani officer.
He said Karnal Sher was posted at a place known as the Shushma Sector on the Line of Control at a height of 18,400 feet, adding that these heights were normally not manned because of their formidable heights and hostile weather.
The official said the posting of Pakistani troops in the Pakistan-controlled area on the LoC was necessitated because India had posted around 30,000 troops near that area on the pretext that it wanted to flush out around 250 "intruders" from the Kargil and Drass sectors.
He said when 30,000 more troops were advanced by India with 60 war planes to the LoC in May, it became imperative for the Pakistan Army defence strategists to man troops on all such areas in anticipation of a massive violation of the LoC by Indian troops.
The ISPR official said the posting of Karnal Sher with 24 others was a part of that defence strategy, adding that India violating the LoC attacked the posts in that sector and initially controlled two of the Pakistani posts on June 18.
Karnal Sher, who secured a backup support of 50 more troops, launched a counter attack on June 27 and the next day he embraced martyrdom.
The retreating Indian troops, he said, took away the body of Karnal Sher to make claims that the Pakistan army officer was killed with Mujahideen.
"Our brother has fulfilled the wish of our grandfather," said Sikandar Sher, the eldest brother of Karnal Sher at the Old Terminal of Karachi Airport moments before a PIA flight carrying the bodies of two soldiers landed there.
He said their grandfather, who had taken an active part in the Kashmir cause, had named their youngest brother after one of the greatest freedom fighters Karnal Sher who earned the highest army award "Nishan-i-Kashmir" for his heroics in 1948 in Kashmir.
When his talk continued, a PIA plane touched down on the tarmac and after a few minutes two coffins wrapped in Pakistan flags emerged from the plane.
Their funeral prayers were offered by alarge number of Pakistan army troops, who included officers and jawans from the Malir garrison and various military units in Karachi, high ranking civil and military officials, politicians and civilians.
Earlier, a number of people who were not allowed entry to the tarmac area by the airport security staff alleged that they were shunted out because of their party affiliations.