ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani army major has died after contracting the coronavirus in Peshawar, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which is the military’s media wing, confirmed late on Sunday.
Maj. Muhammad Asghar was posted along the Torkham Border Crossing to screen people traveling in from Afghanistan and was the first army officer to lose his life to the deadly disease, an ISPR spokesmantold Arab News on Monday.
File photo of Major Muhammad Asghar who died after contracting the coronavirus. (Photo Courtesy: ISPR)
“Major Muhammad Asghar laid his life in the line of duty at Torkham Border in his fight against COVID-19. He was managing Torkham Border to ensure screening of people and movement of logistic convoys to Afghanistan,” excerpts from the ISPR’s statement said.
It added that Maj. Asghar was moved to a military hospital in Peshawar after he complained about breathing difficulties.
“He was put on the life support system but could not survive,” the statement said, adding that “there is no cause bigger than serving the nation.”
Pakistan has been witnessing a spike in the number of infections which reached 31,000 on Monday, with 28 new deaths reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total count to 667 fatalities.