Crash victims laid to rest in Karachi

Married couple, army officers among those buried after identification

KARACHI: Several victims of the plane crash on Friday in Model Colony were laid to rest on Saturday in Karachi.

A married couple was buried in Paposh Nagar graveyard, after being identified as Waqas Tariq and wife Nida Waqas, residents of Waheedabad.

Their 11-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son had also boarded the flight but their bodies could not identified till the filing of this report.

According to a relative, Fozia, the family had recently shifted to Lahore after Nida, who worked for Atlas Honda, was posted there. They were coming to Karachi to celebrate Eid.

She said that DNA samples from some of the family members had been collected to identify the bodies of Waqas and Nida's children.

Meanwhile, some other relatives of the deceased criticised the Pakistan International Airlines, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Sindh Building Control Authority, holding them responsible for the crash. Demanding legal action against them, they asked who had allowed the construction of high-rise structures near the airport.

Jamaat-e-Islami's Karachi chapter chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also attended the funeral and offered condolences to the grieving family.

Model Colony, a day after the nightmare

Later, talking to the media, he lambasted the government over the "lack of coordination" in rescue work. He also pointed out that buildings in the affected area were not constructed as per the guidelines issued by the CAA, adding that illegal constructions near the airport posed a threat to lives.

He demanded an investigation into the matter and legal action against those responsible for the crash.

Meanwhile, Shaheed Lieutenant Shaheer was laid to rest at the Army Graveyard in Chanesar Goth after his funeral prayers were offered at Gol Market Mosque in Nazimabad. Karachi Corps Commander Lieutenant General Humayun Aziz, the deceased's relatives and other army officials attended the funeral.

Lieutenant General Humayun Aziz also attended the funeral prayers of Major Sheharyar, his wife and two children, who also lost their lives in the plane crash, at a mosque in Bahadurabad. Later, Major Sheharyar was laid to rest in Kala Pul Army Graveyard.

Another victim, identified as Iqra Shahid, was buried in Essa Nagri Graveyard. She was returning to Karachi after visiting her aunt in Sialkot. She was accompanied by her uncle, Musarrat Yar Khan, whose body had not been identified till the filing of this report.

Separately, the funeral prayers of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan worker, Dilshad, were offered at Tayyaba Masjid near Awami Chowk. A large number of MQM-P members, including Rauf Siddiqui, Zahid Mansoori, Furqan Ateeb and others attended the funeral.

Meanwhile, a ghaibana namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayers in absentia) of plane crash victims was offered at PIA Jama Masjid. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, PIA chief executive officer Air Marshall Arshad Malik, Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi and PIA employees attended the prayers.