HYDERABAD: The long ordeal which octogenarian father Abdul Mowassit underwent since the May 22 PIA plane crash in which his son, Ahmed Mujtaba, was among the dead, finally came to an end on Wednesday when his DNA test confirmed that the body (No.112) — earlier identified as that of flight steward Abdul Qayyum — is in fact that of his son.

But anther ordeal seemed to have started for the family as they had already buried remains of the dead who now turned out to be of the steward.

Mujtaba actually hails from Latifabad Unit-6, Hyderabad district, and was also living in Karachi’s Jauhar Morr area.

“On Tuesday [June 9] we were told by the Lahore DNA forensic laboratory, PIA representatives and Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Irshad Sodhar [Sindh government’s focal person] that the sample preserved in the Lahore lab for body No.112 matched with my father’s sample,” said Ahmed Murtaza, the deceased’s younger brother who has returned from Ireland.

Mr Mowassit had been running from pillar to post for receiving remains of his son’s body. The DNA test conducted at Karachi University along with deceased passengers’ heirs after the plane crash tragedy did not confirm with any of the dead.

“According to the KU report, the DNA of the body No.112 matched with sample of late Qayyum’s younger brother, Faisal. He received it and burial was done in Lahore,” Murtaza told Dawn Wednesday evening from Karachi over phone after receiving information from the DC South, PIA and DNA forensic laboratory. He said he spoke to Faisal also.

“I also realise that while our ordeal has come to an end after latest development, Mr Qayyum’s family will now be facing same predicament as they will certainly be looking for identification of his remains,” Murtaza said.

According to him, his father had presented his sample in DNA Lahore forensic laboratory on June 3 after some samples of plane tragedy victims’ families were submitted there. “Same evening, it was confirmed the body No.112 is in fact of my brother,” Murtaza said. He said the DNA samples of late Qayyum’s father, mother and son should be obtained and examined in Lahore laboratory. He said that on June 9, he was informed that samples of Mr Qayyum’s parents and son did not match with the DNA lying in Lahore’s laboratory and which led to confirmation that it was Mujtaba’s body that had been buried in Lahore.

Faisal told Dawn from Lahore over phone that his parents and Qayyum’s son’s samples were submitted in Lahore forensic laboratory on June 7 and 8. “We were told that the samples didn’t match with any of DNA preserved in Lahore’s laboratory including body No. 112. But we were told that there were other bodies with number 112,” he remarked.

“We have buried remains and hope that there is no issue of putting gravestone on the part of Mujtaba’s heirs. Shouldn’t we raise question now as to where is Qayyum’s body if it is of Mujtaba?” he asked.

Murtaza has spoken to religious clerics to know as to what should he do now when Mujtaba’s body had already been buried in Lahore. “I have talked to religious clerics in Karachi and even in Saudi Arabia. Everyone advised against exhumation of body,” he said.

He, however, added that his family would certainly like to put a gravestone of his brother’s name so that his children could visit the grave. “This can only be decided by PIA or relevant forums like DNA laboratory. Both families need to sit and decide. I understand sensitivity involved in the matter and Qayyum’s family must be going through what we have been going through since May 22,” he explained.

Mujtaba, a mechanical engineer, was working in Faisalabad since November 2018. He was sacked in March 2020. He came to Karachi by road from Punjab to spend Ramazan with his father, according to his brother. “He was called for an interview in Lahore by Javed Afridi [Pakistan Super League’s Peshawar Zalmi owner] for his company in Lahore where he stayed for five days and was returning to Karachi through the ill-fated plane.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020