NZ shooting: Hyderabad native undergoes bullet removal surgery

Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir, a native of Hyderabad and a victim of the Christchurch hate crime attack in New Zealand, has undergone a surgery to get a bullet removed from his body. His brother Mohammed Khursheed Jahangir told the media that Ahmed had sustained two bullet injuries, on the chest and the shoulder. He said the family was in touch with the neighbours and the authorities. He said the bullet on the chest had been removed. Another surgery was scheduled soon.

Khursheed thanked the New Zealand embassy for being extremely cooperative. Khursheed will be travelling to New Zealand on Saturday. However, the authorities cordoned off the hospital without letting others inside, Khursheed said. “His wife is also not allowed into the hospital,” he said. Iqbal Jahangir was one among the several devotees who were attacked with a gun by a white terrorist, Brenton Tarrant, identified as a native of Australia. The father of two runs a restaurant in New Zealand. On Friday, he went to offer prayers at Al Noor mosque in Christchurch.

As many as 49 were killed in the terrorist gun attack on Friday. Tarrant attacked two mosques aiming at the devotees, and live streamed the video from the camera mounted on his gun. AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi took to Twitter and requested Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj to expedite Khursheed’s visa process so as to enable him to go to New Zealand.

Shortly, the MEA authorities reached out to Asaduddin. Thanking them, Asad wrote, “I’d like to thank @SushmaSwaraj for personally updating me about MEA’s efforts in assisting Ahmed’s and Ahsan’s families reach NZ in time. We are in touch with @MEAIndiaMEA & they have assured us that they’re making all efforts to get the visa process expedited.” Another Hyderabadi, Farhaj Ashan, is also missing after the terror attack. His family heard from him before he left for the Noor mosque near his home for Friday prayers. He is one among the nine Indians who are presumed missing after the terror attack.