By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: The gloomy people of Chitral on Friday remembered the victims of the air crash of PK- 661 flight at Hevelian which killed 47 passengers including five crew members while flying from Chitral to Islamabad this day on 2016.
A number of functions were held to commemorate those perished in the air crash including Osama Ahmed Warraich, the then deputy commissiner of Chitral who had won over the hearts of people by his relentless work in different fields of life in departure of his predecessors to benefit the people at large.
A large number of people turned up to the Osama Warraich Park on Booni Road to attend the function in which floral wreath were placed at the monument of the martyrs of the plain crash by Chitral DC Khurshid Alam Mehsud, DPO Furqan Bilal and Major Majeed of Chitral Scouts followed by the salute by smart contingents of Chitral Police and Chitral Levy.
The park was named after him as ‘Osama Warraich Shaheed Park’ after his demise which happened to be the first public park in the district which he had erected without spending a penny from the government treasury and he managed the resources from his friends and relatives.
Qur’aan khwani was held in different mosques of the town including Shahi Masjid for the souls departed in the plane crash while a function was held in Osama Shaheed Career Coaching Academy to remember the martyrs of the air accident.
Glowing tributes were paid to Osama Warraich by the speakers DC Khurshid Alam Mehsud, Principal Government Girls College Prof. Musarrat Jabeen, PTI leader Sartaj Ahmed Khan apart from the people representing different walks of life and the heirs of the plain victims.
They described the accomplishments of Osama Warraich as revolutionary in nature and said that the bold steps taken by him all the sectors of administration were inimitable and during a short span of one year in the office, he rendered services which required decades for their accomplishments and it immortalized him in the annals of Chitral.
The singer turned evangelist Junaid Jamshed was also remmbered by the people who was also one of the plane victims and was returning home with his wife after spending two months in Chitral with tableeghi jamaat.
Prof Dr. Faiz Ahmed Warraich, the father of Osama Ahmed Warraich and the wife of Junaid Jamshid also addressed the function by telephone and expressed their sentiments.
The people also went to the graves of the plane victims in Jang Bazar, Chew Doke and Bakrabad in the town, Drosh, Garam Chashma, Zait, Booni, Junali Koch, Lone, Brep and Morder and enkindled candles followed by fateha khwani for the departed souls of the plane crash.
The plane crash has deprived Hasina, then a student of 8th class in Garam Chashma valley, of her entire family members including father Mirza Gul, mother Gul Huran, elder sister Zahida Parveen, younger sister Karina and two younger brothers Hassan Ali and Farhan Ali (infant).
Subhanuddin, one of her neighbors told Dawn by telephone that the forlorn girl has never returned to the village after the incident who had been admitted to a school in Islamabad by the federal government on the orders of the prime minister.
The royal fort of Chitral wore a gloomy and depressing look for Shahzada Farhad Aziz who was traveling along with his only daughter Tayyaba Aziz to Islamabad in the ill fated flight .
Known as celebrated paraglider, he was at the prime of his youth and was the most popular teacher in a local school.
