Pakistan mourns death of Sabika Sheikh in Texas school shooting

ISLAMABAD: Led by politicians, Pakistanis on Saturday mourned the death of Sabika Sheikh, a Pakistan student, who was among 10 people, killed in a shooting at a Texas high school in the United States yesterday.

Sabika Sheikh was studying in the US as part of Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme. She was a resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi.

Sabika was among 75 Pakistani students who were selected to study in the US under the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme.

In a letter sent to the YES programme students, Megan Lysaght, the program manager (Inbound) at American Councils for International Education, wrote: "It is with [the] greatest sadness in my heart that I need to inform you that one of our YES students, Sabika Sheikh of Pakistan, was killed today in the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas.

"We are saddened to report that a student on a State Department program administered by American Councils was killed today in a high school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas. Sabika Aziz Sheikh was a Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) student from Karachi, Pakistan and was hosted in Texas during the 2017-18 academic year," reads a statement issued by American Councils

In a statement on Twitter, PTI chairman Imran Khan express shock and grief at the tragic death of Sabika Sheikh.

“Shocked & saddened by the tragic death of Sabika Sheikh our Pakistani Honour Roll exchange student in the Santa Fe school shooting in USA. My prayers go to the family - May Allah give them the strength to cope with such an irreparable loss,” Khan tweeted.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sympathy with the bereaved family of Sabika Sheikh at her untimely death.

“Grieved to learn about the killing of students including a Pakistani exchange student, Sabika Sheikh, in an incident of shooting at a US school. My heart-felt sympathies to bereaved families!,” Chief Minister Tweeted. 

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed grief and shock over the killings of innocent students in US town of Santa Fe in Texas.

In a statement, the PPP Chairman said killings of Pakistani Sabika Aziz and other innocent students have shocked everyone in Pakistan also and we share the grief of all the victim families.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that increasing violence in American education institutions was alarming trend adding that intolerance and violence is a poison for any society.

US ambassador to Pakistan ‏David Hale also offered his condolences. 

"This morning, I called the family of Sabika Sheikh and offered my deepest condolences. All of us at the U.S. Mission in Pakistan are devastated by and mourn her loss. We will honor her memory," Mr Hale said in a statement. 

On Twitter, Sabika Sheikh became a top trend as condolences poured in from across the country.