Our Correspondent
International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) mourns as five of its students lost their lives en route from Islamabad to Balochistan.
Identification
The deceased are: Nawaz, Allahudin, Anwarul Haq, Sayed Attiqullah and Muhammad Idrees Sarangzai.
Those injured include Sadath Khan and Aurangzeb.
Funeral
The University held funeral prayer in absentia for departed souls at its old campus, known as Faisal Masjid campus.
Students and staff of the university took part in the funeral prayers in absentia in large number.
Condolences
Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, rector of the university, who hails from Balochistan, has condoled with the deaths and prayed for the departed souls and bereaved families.
Dr. Hathal Homoud Alotaibi, president of the university, also expressed sorrow over the tragedy.
Faculty members and staff organizations have uploaded condolence messages on their online portals.
International connection
Since the university is among top five in the country, it is like a magnate for students from around the world. It houses the highest number of Afghan students in the country. As most of them are accommodated in its hostels, they form an international community with strong bonds. Fellow students have flooded social media platforms with photos of the deceased and shared the moments they spent together with them.
Sunday was a day of gloom on campus. Overall, more than 19 people died as the speeding passenger bus that was carrying them from Islamabad to Balochistan fell into a ravine. Eyewitnesses say that it was raining at that time.
Most of the deceased were from Faculty of Sharia and Law. Balochistan is a difficult area where opportunities for learning are not easier to find, which is why students head for Islamabad. A group of students based on a particular ethnicity has made it a point that the deceased were its members.