KARACHI: Singer-turned-televangelist Junaid Jamshed was buried here on Thursday after thousands of people attended his funeral prayers in a large ground in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The funeral prayers were led by Maulana Tariq Jameel and attended by several prominent individuals, renowned clerics and celebrities, former and current players of the Pakistan cricket team, prominent businessmen and senior politicians.

Before the funeral prayers, Maulana Jameel addressed the massive crowd for almost an hour, shedding light on Islamic teachings and the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Afterwards, the coffin was taken to Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi in Korangi Industrial Area in a procession in which hundreds of people participated.

Wife buried in Lahore; funeral prayers for two first officers held in Rawalpindi

Emotional scenes were witnessed as several relatives, friends and admirers of the late singer attended the burial inside the seminary, including his sons Taimoor, Babar and Saifullah.

Later in the evening while talking to reporters outside their residence, Taimoor, the eldest son, vowed to continue his father’s “mission of Islamic preaching”.

“Abba always told us to serve this country and Islam. So adopting music as a career in life is out of the question,” he said.

“We will definitely follow in Abba’s footprints and complete his mission to bring people close to Islam and a better life,” he added.

In Lahore, funeral prayers for Mr Jamshed’s wife Nayha were offered at Askari 10 Sector B, Cavalry Ground, Lahore Cantonment.

She was buried at the Cavalry Ground graveyard. Dozens of people, including family and friends, attended her funeral.

Her body was shifted from the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) to her mother’s house in the morning and funeral prayers were offered after Zuhr. Though her husband’s body was taken to Karachi, she was brought to Lahore because it was her mother’s wish to have her last rites in her native city.

In Rawalpindi, funeral prayers for two first officers of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were offered at Race Course Ground and PAF graveyard on Thursday.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Rawalpindi Corps Commander attended the funeral prayers of the flight’s first officer Aly Ikram which was held at Race Course Ground.

The funeral prayers for first officer Ahmed Janjua were offered at the PAF graveyard and attended by his family and other senior officials of the air force and PIA.

Five crew members of the PIA, including the captain, two first officers and two stewardesses were on board the ill-fated ATR-42 that crashed near Havelian en route to Islamabad from Chitral on Dec 7.

Besides, the five crew members, Asim Waqas who was PIA’s flight engineer was also on board and was travelling as a passenger. His body has yet to be identified.

A PIA spokesman said one of the ATR-42 had been cleared in a shakedown test on Thursday.

He said that after the ATR-42 was cleared, flights from Islamabad to Gilgit and Chitral would be made operational.

Earlier, on the directions of the government, PIA had obtained the services of a C-130 aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force for resumption of flights to Gilgit.

Ahmed Fraz Khan in Lahore and Mohammad Asghar in Rawalpindi contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2016