‘She’d call to say, I love you’: Husband grieves Pakistani woman killed in DC air crash

‘She’d call to say, I love you’: Husband grieves Pakistani woman killed in DC air crash
An undated photo of Hamaad Raza and Asra Hussain (right) who lost her life in the crash of American Eagle flight 5342 in Washington DC, United States, on January 30, 2025. (Photo Courtesy: Social Media/Hamaad Raza)
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Updated 31 January 2025
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‘She’d call to say, I love you’: Husband grieves Pakistani woman killed in DC air crash

‘She’d call to say, I love you’: Husband grieves Pakistani woman killed in DC air crash
  • Asra Hussain Raza sent a text to her husband from the doomed flight, saying she would land in about 20 minutes
  • World champion figure skaters, pilot planning his wedding, teenage skaters seen as “future of the sport” among 67 victims

World champion figure skaters, a pilot planning his wedding, teenage skaters seen as the “future of the sport” and a Pakistani consultant with dreams of improving public health were among the 67 victims of the deadly midair collision between a commercial jet and a US Army helicopter near Washington.

All 64 people aboard the American Eagle flight that took off from Wichita, Kansas, including 60 passengers and four crew members, and all three soldiers aboard the helicopter were killed when the two aircraft slammed into each other on Wednesday night, causing a fiery explosion.

Here is what we know about some of the victims:

ASRA HUSSAIN RAZA

Raza, 26, sent a text to her husband, Hamaad, from the doomed flight as they approached Washington, saying she would land in about 20 minutes.
Hamaad Raza, 25, who was waiting at the airport for her arrival, never received another message, his father, Hashim Raza, told Reuters.
“Asra was everything to us,” Hashim Raza, holding back tears with a quavering voice, said in a telephone interview as he traveled from Missouri to Washington to meet his son. “And now my son is a widower at 25. What do I say to him? They planned to have children, they were so much looking forward to that.”
The couple met at Indiana University Bloomington, where she studied corporate finance and was a straight-A student.
Hashim Raza said when his son first met Asra, he declared, “I’m going to marry her.”
Asra Hussain Raza later earned her master’s degree in public health from Columbia University and got a job with a consulting group in Washington, with the ultimate goal of working for the government to improve public health, her father-in-law said.
“All she wanted to do was help people, and DC, she thought, was the place to achieve her goals,” Raza said. “And she was such a great cook — Indian, Italian, Chinese food. I told her to open a restaurant.”
She traveled to Wichita about once or twice a month to help turn around a hospital, he said.
“She was an extremely caring person,” he said. “She’d call just to say, ‘I love you.’”

SPENCER LANE AND JINNA HAN

In 2022, Spencer watched Nathan Chen, the superstar American figure skater, win a gold medal at the Olympics and decided he wanted to take up skating too, his father, Douglas Lane, told WPRI in Rhode Island.
Three years later, the 16-year-old had proven to be a prodigy, qualifying for an elite national training camp in Wichita reserved for young athletes that his skating club’s executive director, Doug Zeghibe, described as “the future of the sport.”
“He just loved it,” Spencer’s father said. “There wasn’t anyone pushing him. He was just somebody who loved it and had natural talent but also just worked every day.”
“He was all-in on figure skating,” Douglas Lane said.
Shortly before taking off, Spencer posted a photo of the wing of the plane on Instagram, according to media reports. In another post, he said qualifying for the camp had been a longtime goal and that the training was an “amazing experience.”
Jinna, 13, had also qualified for the camp, which followed last week’s US national figure skating championship in Kansas.
Both Spencer and Jinna trained almost every day at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, according to Zeghibe, the club’s director. The Lane family lived in Rhode Island, and the Han family lived in the Boston area.
Jinna was a “wonderful kid,” Zeghibe said.
“Wonderful parents, great athlete, great competitor, loved by all,” he told reporters.
Spencer’s mother, Christine, and Jinna’s mother, Jin, were also on the plane. Both were “role model parents” who made a lot of sacrifices to help their children excel in the sport, Zeghibe said.

THE LIVINGSTON FAMILY

Everly and Alydia Livingston — aged 14 and 11, respectively, and known on social media as the “Ice Skating Sisters” — were among those killed in the crash, according to the Kansas City Star newspaper. Their parents, Peter and Donna, were also on the plane.
Alydia was the youngest of the several skaters on the flight and “was known for her vivacious personality and strong desire to improve on the ice” according to a tribute posted on the Facebook page of The Skating Lesson, a forum aimed at educating athletes and fans about the skating community.
Everly “was shy and reserved compared to her sister, yet came alive on the ice — becoming a sectional champion at the intermediate and juvenile levels,” according to The Skating Lesson post.
The family lived in Ashburn, Virginia, and was among the many skaters on the plane attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita last week.

YEVGENIA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV

Russian-born Shishkova and Naumov, who were married, won the world championship in pairs figure skating in 1994 and had coached at the Skating Club of Boston since 2017.
“They were talented and beautiful people,” said Ludmila Velikova in St. Petersburg, where she trained both skaters when they were children. “Zhenya (Shishkova) trained with me from the age of 11 and Vladik (Naumov) from age 14. They were like my own children.”
The couple’s son, Maxim, also a skater, finished in fourth place in the men’s free skate at the US national championships last week. He left Wichita after the competition and was not on Wednesday’s plane.
Zeghibe described Vadim Naumov as an “old-school” coach who applied the strict “Russian method” to his students.
“You could not see Genia without breaking into a smile,” he said, using a nickname for Shishkova.

SAM LILLEY, IAN EPSTEIN, JONATHON CAMPOS, DANASIA ELDER

Lilley, 28, was one of two pilots on the plane, serving as the first officer, his father, Timothy Lilley, said in a Facebook post.
“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” wrote Lilley, himself a pilot, who was in New York at the time of the crash. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep.”
Sam Lilley was engaged to be married later this year, his father said. The Lilley family has ties to Savannah, Georgia, reported FOX 5 Atlanta.
“This is undoubtedly the worst day of my life,” Timothy Lilley told the television station.
Flight attendant Epstein was an outgoing person who loved his job, his ex-wife, Debi Epstein, told the Charlotte Observer.
“He made flying fun for the passengers on the plane so they didn’t get scared,” she said. “He was always the jokester and just doing the announcements with the twist.”
Ian Epstein had two daughters, including one who is getting married in eight weeks, Debi Epstein told the newspaper.
Campos was the captain of the plane, and Elder was the second flight attendant, according to media reports.

WENDY SHAFFER

Shaffer, who lived in Charlotte, devoted her life to her family, including her two small children, ages 1 and 3, friends said on Thursday.
Bill Melugin, a Fox News correspondent and a friend of the family, confirmed her death and posted a statement from Shaffer’s husband, Nate, in an X post.
“Wendy was not just beautiful on the outside, but was a truly amazing woman through and through,” Nate Shaffer said. “She was the best wife, mother, and friend that anyone could ever hope for. Her love, kindness, and strength touched everyone she met.”
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for her family described her as a “radiant soul.”
“Wendy was the heart of her family — a loving partner to her husband and a nurturing, joyful mother to her children,” the fundraiser’s organizers wrote. “Her boys were her greatest pride and joy, and she dreamed of watching them grow into the amazing individuals she knew they would become.”

RYAN O’HARA

Ryan O’Hara was one of three soldiers on board the Black Hawk helicopter, a US official confirmed.
O’Hara attended Parkview High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia, where he had been a member of the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, a program that trains high school students for military service.
In a Facebook post that was later removed, the ROTC wrote, “Ryan is fondly remembered as a guy who would fix things around the ROTC gym as well as a vital member of the Rifle Team,” according to local media reports. O’Hara had a wife and 1-year-old son, the post said.

INNA VOLYANSKAYA

Russian-born Volyanskaya, a skating coach in the Washington area, was on board the plane, according to a post on X from US Representative Suhas Subramanyam and a report from the Russian news agency TASS.
Volyanskaya competed as a pairs skater for the Soviet Union in the 1980s. She coached young skaters at the Washington Figure Skating Club, according to the club’s website.
In a statement on Thursday, the club did not confirm whether any member or coach was on the flight but said it was “devastated” by news of the crash.
“More information will be posted when appropriate,” the club said.


Pakistan approves FIFA’s proposed amendments to lift international suspension

Pakistan approves FIFA’s proposed amendments to lift international suspension
Updated 20 min 3 sec ago
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Pakistan approves FIFA’s proposed amendments to lift international suspension

Pakistan approves FIFA’s proposed amendments to lift international suspension
  • FIFA suspended Pakistan on Feb. 6 after South Asian country rejected electoral reforms 
  • Pakistan hopes move would pave way for team to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in March 

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Thursday unanimously approved FIFA’s proposed constitutional amendments in an extraordinary meeting in Lahore, the body said, as it attempts to return to international soccer again.
FIFA hit Pakistan on Feb. 6 with a third international suspension in less than eight years after the federation rejected electoral reforms. 
Attendees at the Extraordinary Congress called by the PFF in Lahore included officials from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
“The congress members endorsed the FIFA proposed amendments in the best interest of Pakistan football, paving the way for the national team’s participation in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers following the expected lifting of FIFA’s suspension,” the PFF said in a statement.
The global football governing body warned the suspension would only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress “approving the PFF Constitution’s version presented by FIFA and the AFC [Asian Football Confederation].”
The PFF said it was hopeful the suspension would be lifted in time for Pakistan to play Syria on Mar. 25 in its first qualifier for the 2027 Asian Cup.


Nearly weeklong closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing disrupts trade, traffic

Nearly weeklong closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing disrupts trade, traffic
Updated 27 February 2025
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Nearly weeklong closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing disrupts trade, traffic

Nearly weeklong closure of Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing disrupts trade, traffic
  • Pakistan shut down over dispute concerning Afghanistan’s construction of border post on Feb. 21
  • Since then 5,000 trucks and vehicles carrying perishable goods have been stranded on both sides

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A nearly weeklong closure of a key crossing on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has disrupted bilateral trade and the movement of people, causing financial losses to traders and leaving people stranded in harsh winter conditions, officials said Thursday.

The Torkham border crossing has remained closed since Feb. 21 after Pakistan shut it down over a dispute concerning Afghanistan’s construction of a border post.

Since then, more than 5,000 trucks and vehicles carrying goods, including fruits and vegetables, have been stranded on both sides, awaiting the reopening of the trade route, according to Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Torkham also serves as a vital corridor for transporting goods between Pakistan and Central Asian countries, and Sarhadi urged both countries to resolve their dispute so that bilateral trade and movement of people could resume.

At Torkham, truck driver Najeeb Ullah said that he was forced to sleep in his vehicle because he can’t leave it unguarded on the road.

“We request Pakistan and Afghanistan to have mercy on us, as we are suffering without any reason,” he told reporters.

Another driver, Mustafa Khan, said that he was hoping to return to his northwestern city of Peshawar after delivering a supply of cement in Afghan city Jalalabad, but “I am stuck here since Friday, and I have no idea for how many days we will have to face this trouble.”

Farhad Nusrat, an Afghan citizen, said that he was returning home with his mother and children, and the closure of the border crossing has forced them to spend their days and nights in the open area. He appealed to Pakistani authorities to reopen the border.

Authorities said that hundreds of Pakistanis were also stranded on the other side of the border.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. However, Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, the commissioner on the Afghan side of the border, confirmed the closure by Pakistan.

“Whenever Pakistani authorities conduct construction on their side, we say nothing. But whenever we do something, they close the border,” Hikmat said.

Border closures at Torkham are common because of disputes over new posts along the porous Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never officially recognized. Pakistan, meanwhile, has nearly completed a border fence to strengthen control.

The Torkham crossing is located on the edge of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Pakistani Taliban militants frequently target security forces.


Pakistan to host summit in April to seek investments in $6 trillion minerals sector 

Pakistan to host summit in April to seek investments in $6 trillion minerals sector 
Updated 27 February 2025
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Pakistan to host summit in April to seek investments in $6 trillion minerals sector 

Pakistan to host summit in April to seek investments in $6 trillion minerals sector 
  • Government’s National Minerals Harmonization Framework 2025 to be unveiled at summit 
  • Reko Diq mine is considered one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host a minerals summit in April this year, state media reported on Thursday, as the cash-strapped South Asian nation seeks investments in its vast natural reserves estimated to be worth $6 trillion.

Pakistan has enormous reserves of minerals and natural resources, which the government hopes can become a key source of economic development in the future. The country has one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones. The Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy. The Kalabagh iron ore deposits are the largest known deposits in the country.

Pakistan also has vast, untapped reserves of rare earth elements, industrial minerals, non-metallic resources, and gemstones. Northern regions like Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are believed to harbor lithium reserves as well.

State-run APP news agency said on Thursday the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan’s leading exploration and production (E&P) company, in collaboration with the government of Pakistan and strategic partners, would organize the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025 (PMIF25) on April 8-9, 2025, in Islamabad. 

“The forum will serve as a premier platform for global stakeholders to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s emerging minerals sector and unlock the country’s vast mineral potential,” the media outlet reported. 

“During the event, the federal government will formally unveil Pakistan’s newly developed, investor-friendly National Minerals Harmonization Framework 2025 which aims to attract investment in the country’s mineral sector.”

Partners for the event include Barrick, Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Government Holdings (Private) Limited (GHPL), Pakistan Minerals Private Limited (PMPL), Frontier Works Organization (FWO), Mari Energies, and the Reko Diq Mining Company (RDMC).

PMIF25 will bring together high-level government representatives, foreign and local investors, leading corporations, policymakers, international diplomats, financial organizations, and industry experts to explore opportunities in Pakistan’s mining sector. 

“The event will highlight recent policy reforms, large-scale mining potential, and the country’s commitment to sustainable resource development, reinforcing its ambition to become a global mining hub,” APP said, calling the event a “transformative opportunity” for Pakistan’s mining sector that will help foster local and international partnerships and promote responsible mining practices. 


Pakistan opposition alliance demands transparent polls, release of political prisoners at Islamabad conference

Pakistan opposition alliance demands transparent polls, release of political prisoners at Islamabad conference
Updated 27 February 2025
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Pakistan opposition alliance demands transparent polls, release of political prisoners at Islamabad conference

Pakistan opposition alliance demands transparent polls, release of political prisoners at Islamabad conference
  • Alliance continues to hold two-day conference demanding “supremacy of constitution” in Islamabad hotel 
  • Says current parliament does not have any legal, moral or political status, demands rule of law in country

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s multi-party opposition alliance on Thursday rejected the results of the February 2024 election and demanded transparent polls be held across the country, calling on the government to release all political prisoners and ensure rule of law. 

The Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — or the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan— kicked off its two-day conference on Wednesday to demand “supremacy of the constitution” at a local hotel in Islamabad. The alliance claimed on Wednesday that the government was pressurizing the administration of the hotel to cancel the event. The government strongly rejected the allegations. 

As per local media reports, Islamabad authorities sealed the Legend Hotel where the conference is being held on Thursday morning. Opposition parties’ members forcibly entered the premises after some of them climbed the gate and opened it from inside, allowing others to enter. Subsequently, opposition leaders announced that they would hold the conference in the hotel lobby while police personnel and the paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel remained stationed outside.

Pakistan’s leading opposition parties accuse the ruling coalition government of cracking down on their supporters, resorting to rights abuses, interfering in judicial matters and passing legislation to stifle dissent. The government rejects these allegations and accuses the opposition of creating hurdles in its mission to reform Pakistan’s economy. 

“The results of the rigged elections of Feb. 8, 2024, are responsible for the current political, economic and social crisis in the country,” a joint statement from the TTAP said. 

“Our constitution does not allow any Pakistani citizen to be harassed, arrested or imprisoned for participating in political activity and all political prisoners should be released immediately,” it added. 

The opposition alliance said Pakistan’s current parliament does not have any moral, political or legal status, demanding the government abolish the recently approved amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) act as they aim to stifle dissent. 

“The only solution to the current crisis in the country is the holding of free, transparent and fair elections,” the statement read. 

The alliance called on Pakistan’s political leaders to formulate a unified strategy to ensure stability and put the country on the path to development through a “national dialogue.”

“The opposition parties of Pakistan pledge to continue the collective practical struggle to implement the provisions of this agreement and this struggle will continue until the problems of Pakistan are resolved and the welfare of the people is ensured,” the statement said. 

Leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former prime minister Imran Khan, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Awam Pakistan, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) parties as well as lawyers, journalists and members of the civil society are attending the conference.

Pakistan has been plagued with political turmoil since Khan was ousted as prime minister via a parliamentary vote in April 2022. He was later convicted in a slew of charges and sent to jail in August 2023. 

Khan denies the charges and says they are politically motivated to keep him and his party away from power. He accuses the country’s powerful military of orchestrating his removal from office and backing his political rivals in the government. 

The military denies Khan’s allegations and insists it does not interfere in political matters. 


Pakistan-Bangladesh match washed out as hosts make meek exit

Pakistan-Bangladesh match washed out as hosts make meek exit
Updated 27 February 2025
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Pakistan-Bangladesh match washed out as hosts make meek exit

Pakistan-Bangladesh match washed out as hosts make meek exit
  • Pakistan crashed out of Champions Trophy after losses to New Zealand, India
  • India and New Zealand progress to Champions Trophy semifinals from Group A

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s last Champions Trophy group match with Bangladesh on Thursday was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Rawalpindi because of rain, ensuring the host country’s title defense ended with a wet whimper.
Pakistan, who won the 50-over tournament in 2017, lost to New Zealand and India and finish bottom of Group A.
Their last match had only pride at stake for both teams, with Bangladesh similarly out of the running for the semifinals.
Pakistan’s failure to advance beyond the group phase or even win a game was a huge letdown for a country hosting its first major tournament in three decades.
Pakistan finished fourth and last with one point in three matches, a position below Bangladesh, who also have one point in as many games but a better net run-rate.
Overnight rain in Rawalpindi continued on and off and despite several inspections by the umpires, no play was possible.
India and New Zealand progressed to the semifinals from Group A.
In Group B, South Africa, Australia and Afghanistan compete for the other two semifinal spots. England are out of contention.