ISLAMABAD: Out of the nine Pakistani nationals who were shot dead in two New Zealand mosques last week, eight were laid to rest on Friday after a mass funeral in Christchurch, the largest city of the country’s South Island.
At least 50 people were killed in twin attacks on two mosques on March 15 when a white supremacist opened fire on the worshippers.
“Today, eight Pakistani Shaheed (martyrs) 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 (the procession),” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Dr. Muhammad Faisal tweeted on Friday.
Travel arrangements for the family members of the victims were facilitated by Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) and the government of New Zealand.
On Friday, thousands of people gathered for a mass funeral which was “attended by more than 5,000 people, of which there were about 1,500 Muslims, who came from all over New Zealand...Shaheed (martyred) Syed Areeb Ahmed will be repatriated to Pakistan in the next few days. His family is being kept informed”, excerpts from a statement released by the FO read.
“Emotions were high, during the funeral prayers,” Kaleem Khan, a Pakistani community leader, told Arab News from Christchurch.
Meanwhile, as a mark of respect, New Zealand broadcasted the Islamic call to prayer on Friday, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joining the congregation of mourners near Al-Noor mosque, one of the two locations which had been targeted last week.
Ardern and thousands of others observed two minutes of silence in memory of the victims, following which the premier said that New Zealand was mourning with the families of the victims.
A day earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had called Ardern to condemn last week’s attacks before expressing his admiration over her handling of the situation, particularly her attempts to help the nation’s grieving Muslim community heal.
Mosque attack victims: Eight Pakistanis buried in Christchurch
Mosque attack victims: Eight Pakistanis buried in Christchurch
- Funeral was attended by more than 5,000 people
- New Zealand broadcasts the Islamic call to prayer across the country
Pakistan stocks hit record high on hopes of rate cut, improved US ties
- Benchmark index gains 2,662 points, or 1.44 percent, to close at an all-time high of 187,761 points
- Engro, UBL, Hub Power, Fauji Fertilizer, Meezan Bank and Service Industries added 1,554 points to index
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) hit a record high as it surpassed the 187,500-point mark on Monday, with analysts citing improving ties with the United States and expectations of an imminent interest rate cut.
The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 2,662.86 points, or 1.44 percent, to close at an all-time high of 187,761.69 points, up from the previous close of 185,098.83 points, according to PSX data.
The stock gains came a day after President Donald Trump invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to join the so-called “Board of Peace” for Gaza, amid increasing Pakistan-US diplomatic and economic engagement since Trump’s rise to presidency.
“Falling government bond yields and improving Pakistan-US relations played a catalyst role in record close at PSX,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer of Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News.
Meanwhile, Karachi-based market research firm Topline Securities said bulls extended their rally as hopes of a rate cut by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) fueled investor sentiment.
“Investor sentiment remained upbeat, largely fueled by rising expectations of an imminent interest rate cut,” it said in a post on X. “Market participants increasingly priced in a 50bps reduction in the upcoming monetary policy, which kept buying interest alive and underpinned broad-based gains.”
In December, the SBP cut its key policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 percent, resuming monetary easing after four meetings in a move that surprised many despite International Monetary Fund guidance to keep policy “appropriately tight” to anchor inflation expectations.
Engro Holdings Limited (ENGROH), United Bank Limited (UBL), Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC), Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC), Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL) and Service Industries Limited (SRVI) collectively added 1,554 points to the benchmark index on Monday, according to Topline Securities.
“Total market volumes stood at 1,195 million shares, while the value of shares traded amounted to Rs63.7 billion,” the research firm said. “[Bank Makramah Limited] BML led the volume chart, emerging as the most actively traded stock with 246 million shares.”
