[Nasheman news] Hyderabad  More than 24 hour after the terror attack at two mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch city, a man from Hyderabad remains missing while another who was shot at is recovering.

Mohammed Sayeeduddin was still waiting for information about his son Farhaj Ahsan, 31, who remained missing.

“We are still waiting for information. He is still listed as missing,” an anxious Sayeeduddin told IANS on Saturday.

Farhaj’s wife and her uncle, who rushed from Australia, were at a hospital in Christchurch, waiting for the authorities to provide some information. 

Farhaj, a software engineer, was at Al Noor mosque for Friday prayers when the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on worshippers.

He used to regularly offer Friday prayers at Al Noor as he lives in a nearby neighbourhood with his wife and two children. 

Like every day, Sayeeduddin rang up his son, unaware of what was going on at the mosque. “We speak to him over phone every day around afternoon and today being Friday I rang him around 8 a.m. but he did not respond,” the father had told IANS hours after the mass killing.

He then called his daughter-in-law, who informed that there has been an attack at the mosque and she has failed to reach Farhaj over his mobile phone.

She later went to hospitals with a picture of her husband and after a long wait, the authorities told her that he is among 19 people missing.

Farhaj, who did his MS from Auckland University, worked for various companies.

Ahmed Iqbal Jehangir, another man from Hyderabad who was also at the same mosque, was injured. He received a bullet on his chest.

“Alhamdulillah (grateful to Allah). He is out of danger and recovering,” his brother Mohammed Khursheed Jehangir told IANS in Hyderabad on Saturday.

According to information received by Khursheed, a surgery was performed on Ahmed at a hospital in Christchurch and it was successful.

Ahmed, settled in New Zealand for 15 years, stay in the same neighbourhood where the tragedy struck and runs a Hyderabadi food restaurant near Al Noor mosque. His wife and children were safe. 

Khursheed plans to leave for New Zealand to see his brother.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has tweeted to Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, urging her to provide immediate assistance to the two families to facilitate their travel to New Zealand.

The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief later tweeted again to thank Sushma Swaraj for personally updating him about the efforts of the Foreign Ministry in assisting Ahmed and Ahsan’s families.

[Nasheman news] Christchurch A day after 49 people were killed in the horrific Christchurch mosques shootings, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday showed solidarity to the Muslim community, saying “this is not the New Zealand people know”.

She made the remark during her 40-minute address at the Christchurch Canterbury Refugee Centre, where she delivered a message of unity to the country’s Islamic community, the worst affected by the bloody massacre of Friday, when gunmen opened fire at two mosques.

“You were quick to mention this is not the New Zealand that you know. I want to reaffirm that today. This is not New Zealand,” Arden, draped in a black pant-suit with a dupatta covering her head, told the Muslim leaders and the media in attendance.

“Bodies are still being removed from mosque. Emergency services are still removing bodies from the Deans Avenue mosque where 41 people were killed on Friday,” she said.

The Prime Minister hoped that all the bodies would be cleared on Saturday. 

Ardern announced that families who lost their loved ones in the two shootings would be entitled to compensation.

She said police security at mosques across New Zealand would continue until “it is deemed there is no longer a threat”.

More charges would also be laid against the Australian accused of the Christchurch attacks. The 28-year-old faced court on Saturday morning and was charged with one count of murder.

“It absolutely was his intention to continue with his attack,” she said at the Centre.

Ardern has already announced that there will be changes to the country’s gun laws in the aftermath of the massacre, New Zealand Herald reported.

According to TVNZ, Ardern visited the Centre with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and opposition National Party leader Simon Bridges.

New Zealand’s iconic silver fern will adorn the Sydney Opera House, one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks, on Saturday night

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the show of respect on her official Twitter account, saying it was a “symbol of solidarity, support and respect”.

New Zealanders have been leaving tributes to the victims near the Christchurch Botanical gardens, close to the Al Noor mosque where 41 people died, The New Zealand Herald reported.

Some have left flowers, while other have written on the pavement in coloured chalk. “From the depths of our hearts, we are sorry,” one message said.

Friday’s killing was a terrorist attack that appeared orchestrated for the social media. The brutal shootings were previewed on an infamous Internet message board and then graphically live-streamed on Facebook.

An 87-page manifesto, found by authorities after it was posted online, was filled with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim ideas.

Bangladesh team manager Khaled Mashud said that the team was just “about 50 yards from the mosque”, which was the site of a terror attack in Christchurch on Friday. Following the attack, the third and final Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh was cancelled and Mashud told reporters that the incident they witnessed was “straight out of a movie scene”.

As the attack on the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Hagley Park took place, the team were initially barred from leaving bus but eventually made their way to the team hotel.

Speaking to reporters at the team hotel, Mashud said: “This was a kind of accident that we would never expect nor want in any part of the world. We are very lucky because we had a number of us, about 17 of us, in the bus. Soumya Sarkar was also there, and we were all heading to the mosque for prayers.

“Only two of the players had stayed back in the hotel, and rest of the squad had gone there. We were very close to the mosque, and we could see from the bus. We must have been about 50 yards from the mosque.”

Mashud narrated what took place as the team was heading to the mosque and admitted that they were “really lucky” to not be caught in the crossfire.

“I would say we were really lucky. Had we reached even three or four minutes earlier, we probably would have been inside the mosque. This could then have been a massive incident. We are very thankful that we weren’t caught in the crossfire, but what we saw was straight out of a movie scene.

“We could see bloodstained people staggering out of the mosque. Maybe in about eight-ten minutes, we were all inside the bus and were sitting with our heads bowed, just in case someone fires at us.”

Then the team escaped through the back gate to the ground and in the dressing room before they safely managed to get to the team hotel. He also confirmed that the entire team and support staff are healthy and at the hotel and that their plans to return home are being worked out.

“They have told us and will send an official mail by 6:30 in the evening. Our plan to return has also been chalked out with the people in charge of logistics,” he added.

Mashud also appreciated the New Zealand cricket board for their efforts and admitted that it was unfortunate that the third Test had to be cancelled.

Agencies