Pakistan
Four Army’s Quick Reaction Force soldiers martyred as military vehicle falls into ravine near Neelum Valley
Four soldiers of the Pakistan Army’s Quick Reaction Force (QRF) were martyred when a military vehicle fell into a ravine in Laswa near Neelum Valley.
The vehicle while attempting to take a steep turn dumped into the river, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) informed.
The military's broadcasting wing said the incident took place as the troops were busy maintaining law and order in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) amid the Legislative Assembly elections.
Other than the martyred army personnel, three other soldiers and a civilian driver were injured in the incident, the ISPR said.
The statement further said that the injured have been evacuated to a nearby medical facility for necessary medical care.
The development comes as the polling time for residents of AJK looking to cast their vote to elect new members to the region's Legislative Assembly ended at 5 pm.
More than 700 candidates from 32 political and religious parties are contesting for the 45 general seats. 12 seats are reserved for Kashmiri refugees who had migrated from the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1947 and 1965 and are settled in various parts of Pakistan.
In view of the apprehensions expressed by political parties, the polling process is taking place amid strict security measures.
Nearly 40,000 security personnel have been entrusted with the task to guard 5,123 polling stations, of which 1,209 have been declared “sensitive” while 826 stations are “most sensitive”.