National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP): The sacrifice and service of
Pakistani servicemen attached to the Australian and New Zealand Army
Corps (ANZAC) in the 1915 Gallipoli campaign were remembered here at
a Service at the Australian High Commission.
The day also saw the first contingent of former Pakistan
Servicemen march in the ANZAC Day parades in Australia’s national
capital Canberra, state capitals Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and the
NSW regional city of Armidale.
The event at the Australian High commission was attended by
Director General Artillery Major General Farhan Akhtar, who
accompanied the members of 7 Mountain Artillery Brigade, that were
attached to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) in the
1915 Gallipoli campaign.
Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson said the service
and sacrifice of Pakistani soldiers who fought shoulder to shoulder
with ANZAC soldiers at Gallipoli was a testament to the enduring
friendship between Australia and Pakistan.
ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and
New Zealand to commemorate all those who served and died in all
wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
In both countries day dawned with services, marches by
veterans, and gunfire breakfasts in every town and city.
“Today on ANZAC Day, we remember all those who have laid down
their lives in service to their countries for peace and security,”
Adamson said.
“At the same time we remember the countless victims of
conflict and terrorist or extremist violence, then and today. We
must never forget their sacrifice and bear witness to the horror and
futility of conflict and war, of terrorism and of violent extremism
in all its forms.”
On 25 April 1915, ANZAC soldiers landed at Gallipoli in
Turkey. The 7 Mountain Artillery Brigade comprising 26 Jacob’s
Battery Artillery, the 21st Kohat Mountain Battery Artillery (part
of today’s Frontier Force) and the 89 Punjab Regiment (today’s
Baloch Regiment) were attached to the ANZAC forces.
They landed on the first day alongside Australian and New
Zealand soldiers. These artillery units were the first to be
deployed ashore and the last to leave when the force was evacuated
from Gallipoli in December 1915. The Brigade sustained more than 400
casualties in the first 10 days of fighting alongside the ANZACs.
After extensive re-designation over the years, these units are
now known as the First Self Propelled Regiment Artillery (Frontier
Force) and the First Baloch Regiment.