Quetta Corps commander Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali of Pakistan, along with five other people boarded on a chopper, crashed in the Lasbela region of Baloochistan on Monday late night.
Speculations of the chopper being shot down by the rebels of Balochistan are being made. All six people in the chopper have been declared dead.
The Quetta Corps commander, a senior official who oversees counter-insurgency operations in the region and guards the border with south Afghanistan, was reportedly on board, which is anticipated to be one of the reasons for being targeted by the Balochistan Liberation Army, who have not yet released a statement.
The other five victims have been identified as Naik Mudasir, Major Saeed, the pilot, and Brigadier Amjad Haneef, the director general of the Coast Guard (crew member).
Additional reports state that shortly after taking off from a base in Balochistan’s Lasbela area, the helicopter lost communication with ground control.
In Balochistan’s southwest, search operations are currently being conducted for the missing aircraft.
A senior police official stated that efforts to find the debris, dead, or survivors are being hampered by the steep terrain in the sparsely populated area.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended condolences to the deceased. Taking to Twitter, he wrote in Urdu, translating, “The disappearance of an army helicopter from Balochistan is alarming. The entire nation prays to Allah Almighty for the safety, security, and return of these sons of the country who came out to help the flood victims. God willing.”