An Mi-17 helicopter of the Pakistan Army Aviation crashed near Muzaffarabad on Wednesday during take-off “due to a technical fault.” All personnel on board have been killed. Meanwhile, local reports claim that the protesters in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) shot down the chopper. Furthermore, a probe has been ordered into the incident to uncover the “technical cause” of the accident.
All personnel on board embraced martyrdom. There were no survivors,” the ISPR said in a statement, as cited by Dawn. The statement said that the recovery teams rushed to the site.
“A board of inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the exact technical cause of the accident,” the military’s media affairs wing stated, as per Dawn.
However, the cause of the crash remains unclear as of now, as per Geo News.
Munir expresses grief
Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Asim Munir and all ranks of the army “express deep grief over the tragic loss of precious lives and extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families”, the ISPR said in its statement.
PoK crisis: Protests, deaths, and demands
Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured as deadly clashes continue to take place between the law enforcement personnel and protesters in the Rawalakot city of PoK, according to several media reports.
Earlier, Sardar Waheed Khan, the Commissioner of Poonch district in PoK, was quoted as saying by Pakistani daily ‘The News International’ that only 12 people have been killed and several security officials injured in the clashes. He claimed that members of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) targeted the security forces’ personnel and the miscreants possessed modern weapons and tried to disrupt law and order in the area.
However, several activists claimed on social media that the actual casualty figures are significantly higher, even though this could not be independently verified.
Ahead of the June 9 protest, the Pakistani authorities launched a crackdown on JAAC on Saturday and arrested its several leaders and activists.
Videos which went viral on social media showed the brutality unleashed by Pakistani police personnel against citizens. Shops and markets remained closed while vehicular movement was minimal in Muzaffarabad on Tuesday as the JAAC observed a strike.
