Christchurch victim Areeb's body handed to heirs

KARACHI: The body of Syed Areeb, one of the nine Pakistanis killed in the Christchurch attack, was handed over to his heirs at Karachi airport on Monday, ARY News reported.

An Emirate Airlines flight (EK-600) carrying the body landed at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi at around 10:30. Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shalwani and the deceased’s family members were present at the cargo terminal to receive the body.

The authorities handed Areeb’s body over to his family members upon completion of legal formalities. The body was then shifted to Federal B Area where his funeral prayer was offered.

Eight Pakistanis were laid to rest in New Zealand on Friday. According to the Foreign Office, more than 20 family members of the victims flew to New Zealand to attend the funerals, which were attended by over 5,000 people.

Australian right-wing extremist Brenton Tarrant opened fire at dozens of Muslims at two Christchurch mosques during the Friday prayers on March 15. Those martyred at Al Noor and Linwood mosques belonged to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Earlier, on March 24, thousands gathered in New Zealand’s cities to protest racism and remember the victims and as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a national remembrance service to be held later this week.

About 15,000 turned out for an evening vigil in Christchurch in a park near the Al Noor mosque, where a suspected white supremacist killed more than 40 of the victims. Several more people were killed at the nearby Linwood mosque.