CHITRAL: Sorrow and grief reigned supreme in Chitral on Thursday due to the killing of 20 local persons in the plane crash, which also claimed life of the popular deputy commissioner of the district, Osama Ahmed Warraich.

All the educational institutions, government and semi-government offices and markets remained closed and people thronged the houses of the victims of the plane crash.

Quran Khawani was also held for the departed souls in a number of mosques and religious seminaries. The funeral prayers in absentia were also held for Osama Ahmed Warraich.

The plane crash has deprived Hasina, a student of 8th grade, of her entire family members including her father Mirza Gul, mother Gul Huran, elder sister Zahida Parveen, younger sister Karina and two younger brothers Hassan Ali and Farhan Ali.

20 locals lost lives in the tragedy; entire family of 8th grader Hasina perished

The family was going to Lahore to condole the death of a relative and Hasina was left behind as her school vacations were scheduled for December 23. She was supposed to join the family afterwards.

Subhanud Din, a neighbour of Hasina, told Dawn that she was watching TV news channel which broke the news to her. She fell unconscious to hear the news, he added.

He said that Hasina was taken to Islamabad on Thursday for taken sample from her body to carry out DNA test to establish the identity of her family members.

The story sorry tale of Ayesha Usman, a resident of Drosh village, is equally touching one as she kept her husband waiting for her in Islamabad. He had never met her as their nikah was solemnised by telephone two weeks ago and she was scheduled to fly to England with her spouse where he was settled.

After obtaining M Phil degree in chemistry from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad last year, she wanted to earn a doctorate degree in England but the plane crash made it a wish never to be fulfilled.

Two real sisters Farrah Naz and Rani Mehreen from Drosh village were also travelling in the ill-fated plane. They were married in Punjab and their husbands were waiting for them at Islamabad airport.

Another passenger of the flight Shahzada Farhad Aziz, who was travelling along with his only daughter Tayyeba Aziz to Islamabad, was in the prime of his youth. He was a celebrated paraglider, who introduced it in the district a decade ago.

The royal fort of Chitral has never seen such large scale mourning in its history which depicted his popularity among the common people.

Salman Zainul Abidin had joined Hashoo Foundation in Chitral as its regional programme manager just a week ago. He was going to Islamabad to attend a meeting while he had lost his elder brother Imran in a bomb blast in Mingora, Swat in 1987.

Takbeer Khan, a known businessman, was going to Islamabad to attend the graduation ceremony of one of his sons, who graduated from a religious seminary there.

The tragic death of Osama Ahmed Warraich was talk of the town. People were deeply shocked by the incident as he was popular among the locals his posting in October 2015 in the district.

He had taken a number of bold steps including launching anti-encroachment drive throughout the district which his predecessor never dared to think of while establishment of the first public park also popularised him among the people.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2016