Air chief says sacrifice ‘represents best traditions of Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Armed Forces’
PAF Group Captain Asim Tariq. Photo app
Funeral prayers for Pakistan Air Force Group Captain Asim Tariq, who was shot dead after intervening to protect a woman in Islamabad, were offered on Tuesday as he was buried with full military honours, according to the army’s media wing.
Tariq was shot dead on Sunday while trying to rescue a woman near Shaheen Chowk on Ninth Avenue in the jurisdiction of Margalla police station. According to initial reports, Tariq was passing through when he noticed a woman had gotten off a motorcycle while the driver was allegedly pulling her by the hand. He turned around and stopped near the motorcycle, causing the woman to run to the other side of her vehicle. During the confrontation, the alleged suspect exchanged harsh words with the officer before opening fire on him. Tariq later succumbed to his injuries, while the suspect fled the scene.
A statement issued today by Inter Services Public Relations read: “Funeral prayers were offered today for Group Captain Asim Tariq Shaheed, who embraced martyrdom as he bravely intervened to rescue a woman in distress in Islamabad. The martyred officer was buried with full military honors in recognition of his exceptional courage, selfless devotion and unwavering sense of duty.”
He added that Chief of the Air Staff Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu attended the funeral prayers along with senior officers, airmen and a large gathering of the civil community to pay their final respects to the “brave officer and honor his supreme sacrifice”.
Paying tribute to Tariq, the air chief said his sacrifice “embodies the best traditions of the Pakistan Air Force and the Pakistan Armed Forces”.
He said that by laying down his life while protecting an innocent citizen, Tariq had demonstrated that the men and women of the Pakistan Air Force remained “steadfast in their commitment to not only safeguard the nation’s borders but also to protect the lives, dignity and honor of their countrymen.”
With full military honors funeral prayers were offered for Group Captain Asim Tariq Shaheed, who embraced martyrdom while rescuing a woman in distress in Islamabad. Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu paid tribute to the martyred officer and described his sacrifice as a symbol of bravery,… pic.twitter.com/tK2FeUNZTT
– Pakistan Television (@PakTVGlobal) July 7, 2026
Incident and case
The first information report (FIR) of the case was registered on charges of murder and under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The FIR, filed following the complaint of Wing Commander Imran Khurram Nawaz, stated that Tariq stopped the suspect from misbehaving with a girl, following which the suspect opened fire on him. Tariq died on the spot.
Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said the suspect opened fire on Tariq after the officer intervened when the suspect allegedly tried to forcibly take a woman with him.
The police chief said the shooting occurred at 11:21 a.m. and the suspect was arrested within nine hours. He said the suspect and the woman worked at the same store and had visited together previously.
On the day of the incident, the suspect allegedly wanted to take the woman to a park or another location, but she refused. The officer intervened after witnessing the altercation, after which the suspect turned around on his motorcycle and shot him.
The police chief said 11 police teams investigated the case, reviewing footage from 275 Safe City cameras and using artificial intelligence tools to track the suspect.
He was arrested in Islamabad after allegedly purchasing a Skyways bus ticket and disconnecting data from his mobile phone. A day ago, he was sent to prison under judicial preventive detention for 14 days for an identification parade.
