Hyderabad man slain in mosque attack to get NZ burial

Hyderabad, March 17 (IANS) Farhaj Ahsan, one of the two men from Telangana, killed in the Christchurch terror attack, will be buried in New Zealand itself, his family said here on Sunday.

Ahsan, 31, a software engineer, was one of the 50 worshippers killed in the horrific attack on the mosques during the Friday prayers.

He was living in Christchurch with his wife and two children -- three-year-old daughter and six-month-old son.

Ahsan's parents and in-laws would be leaving for New Zealand on Sunday. His father Mohammed Sayeeduddin told IANS that their travel documents were processed and they would be reaching Christchurch on Tuesday.

Since the family found it difficult to bring the body to India, it decided to bury him there. "I consulted with family members and we decided to perform the burial there," he said.

Sayeeduddin said there was a plan for mass burial of the victims in Christchurch but was not sure if it would take place before Tuesday or later.

Ahsan was initially reported missing. The authorities on Saturday informed his wife Insha Aziz and her uncle, who had rushed from Australia, that he was among the 50, who fell to the bullets.

Sayeeduddin and his wife Imtiaz Fatima, who were hoping to hear some good news about their son, were devastated on learning about his death.

Relatives and neighbours poured in at their house in Nadeem Colony of Toli Chowki area and consoled them.

Ahasan was at Al Noor mosque for the Friday prayers when the terrorist opened indiscriminate fire on worshippers. According to Sayeeduddin, he used to regularly offer prayers at the same mosque as he was living in a nearby neighbourhood.

Unaware of what was going on at the mosque, Sayeeduddin had called his son like a daily routine and when he did not respond, he contacted his daughter-in-law, who informed him about the terror attack at the mosque. Since then it was anxious wait for the family.

Ahsan had gone to New Zealand nine years ago. He did MS from Auckland University and had shifted to Christchurch five years ago.

"He worked for various companies and had recently completed a project in Christchurch. For last six months he was searching for a new job," said Sayeeduddin.

A retired employee of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Sayeeduddin hails from Warangal district of Telangana and lives in Hyderabad. Ahsan was the youngest among his two sons and two daughters.

Another man from Telangana was also killed in the attack. Mohammad Imran Khan fell to the bullets at the mosque, according to information reaching his relatives in Karimnagar.

Imran, whose family was settled in the US, was engaged in some business in New Zealand for last few years.

Imran Khan's uncle Manzoor Ahmed Khan received information from his brother's family in US about his death in the Christchurch shootout.

Ahmed Iqbal Jehangir, who is from Hyderabad, was injured in the attack. He sustained bullet injuries in the chest and shoulder and he is recovering at a hospital in Christchurch.

Settled in New Zealand for last 15 years, Ahmed runs a Hyderabad food restaurant near Al Noor mosque.