ISLAMABAD – Eight Pakistanis, among 27 martyred in last week’s terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand, were laid to rest at a local graveyard in Christchurch on Friday.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal tweeted: “Today, 8 Pakistani Shaheed have been buried in a local graveyard in Christchurch according to Islamic rituals. More than 20 family members, who flew from Pakistan, were able to join.”
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Thousands gathered to remember the 50 people martyred by a lone white supremacist gunman at two mosques in Christchurch last Friday.
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The body of Syed Areeb Ahmed, who was among the nine Pakistanis martyred in the terrorist attack, would be repatriated to Pakistan in the next few days.
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, accompanied with community leaders and other foreign dignitaries, led the mourners gathered at a park in front of the Al Noor Mosque for a prayer followed by two minutes of silence.
Many women in attendance wore headscarves in solidarity with New Zealand s Muslim community.
28 people wounded in the terror attacks in Christchurch mosques remain in hospital, six in intensive care.
Most victims were migrants or refugees from countries such as Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
The massacre by alleged shooter Brenton Tarrant has shocked a nation known for its tolerance. It has prompted horrified Kiwis to respond with vigils and performances of the traditional Maori haka, and to form lines behind Muslims to symbolically protect them while they pray.
