RAWALPINDI: A Pakistani peacekeeper, serving with the United Nations (UN) mission in Sudan's Darfur, was martyred while on duty, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday.

Lance Naik Adil Jan from Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan, 38 years old was part of UN mission Darfur that was responsible for protection of civilians and facilitating humanitarian assistance, the ISPR media release said.

The soldier hailed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat.

"Adil Jan joined UN-AU in Darfur in 2020, posted at ElFasher UN Guard Unit where he served until his untimely demise. At this hour of grief, we sincerely express our heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family and members of his unit with great appreciation for his dedicated service," it added.

At least 161 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving in global peace missions for international peace and stability, the ISPR revealed.

Pakistan's first UN peacekeeping mission began in 1960 in Congo. So far more than 200,000 Pakistani soldiers have participated in 60 missions in 28 countries. The country still has more than 7,000 personnel deployed in nine countries in 14 UN missions.