Islamabad: The body of Pakistan’s famous pop star-turned-preacher Junaid Jamshed, who was on board at the ill-fated PK-661 flight that crashed en route to Islamabad, has been identified with the help of dental and facial X-rays.
“The body was identified with the help of samples from teeth and x-rays of his face,” Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Mushtaq Ahmed was quoted as saying by Dawn.
Jamshed was one of the 47 passengers who were killed when the Pakistan International Airlines’ flight crashed into a hillside in the country’s north while travelling from the city of Chitral to Islamabad last Wednesday, killing all on board.
A high-profile member of the Tablighi Jamaat, the 52-year-old Jamshed was returning from Chitral where he had gone for preaching-related work.
His wife Ayesha Junaid was also killed in the crash which is being investigated by Pakistani authorities.
Before joining the Tablighi Jamaat, Jamshed was one of Pakistan’s most loved pop singers, famous for hits in the 1980s such as “Dil Dil Pakistan”. The patriotic lyrics of the song made it so popular that it was hailed as an unofficial national anthem of Pakistan.
Jamshed denounced singing in 2004 and announced to devote his life to Islam. He often appeared on TV advertisements to give products a religious endorsement and also had a chain of fashion boutiques.
An FIR was registered against him in 2014, accusing the preacher of blasphemy after he had made some controversial remarks. Later, he apologised for his remarks.
In March this year, he was subjected to public ridicule at Islamabad airport where a group of infuriated people assaulted him.