KARACHI: Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Saturday visited the house of Junaid Jamshed, a famous TV personality and religious figure who died with 46 others in a recent plane crash, and offered his condolences to his family.

Mr Rafique said that the deceased was a true Pakistani and a servant of the religion and that the vacuum created by his death could not be filled.

He said he had family terms with Mr Jamshed’s family. “My brother Salman was a classmate of Junaid Jamshed.”

He said Mr Jamshed served Pakistan and Islam. He had gone to Chitral for preaching of Islam which was his last contribution to the religion, he added.

Later, the minister spoke to the media outside the Mr Jamshed’s house. He said at least four days were needed for the outcome of the DNA tests to identify the remains of the late celebrity and his wife.

He said the authorities had already found the black box of the crashed plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and facts could only be known after its decoding.

“One cannot say anything about the cause of the crash or put blame on certain individuals or organisations before the black box is duly decoded,” said the minister.

He, however, said his government was committed not to compromise on safety issues involving the PIA.

“Our government is taking all effective measures to modernise the PIA,” he said.

Mr Jamshed’s brother Humayun said that the death of his brother was the will of Allah. However, he said, the nation had lost its noble son with his sudden demise.

Answering a question about the funeral prayers for Mr Jamshed, he said so far no schedule had been shared with him.

He said the family was consulting muftis and religious personalities on the issue and would decide in the light of their advice.

He thanked visitors who turned up for condolences.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2016