Sister of MH370 pilot asks for people to stop blaming him for plane's disappearance

PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The sister of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the pilot of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, has asked people to stop blaming him for the mysterious disappearance of the plane.

Capt Zaharie's older sister Sakinab Shah said that the family continued to pray that the bizarre mystery would unravel soon and stood in "belief that no matter how long the night, dawn will still break".

"As things stand today, with no tangible evidence to show, NO ONE, be you politician, scientist, aviation expert, plane crash investigator, pilot, retired pilot, media or whoever else... NONE OF YOU have a right to blame Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah for any wrongdoing," she said in a commemorative one-year statement of the disappearance of the plane.

Ms Sakinab Shah said that people could be hard and callous and pointed out stories in the media falsely alleging that Capt Zaharie was facing an impending divorce suit in the Syariah Court.

She said that while there were many consoling and enlightening comments that were appreciated, some of the media pounced upon it like hungry starved wolves with their twisted and conniving misinterpretations of the visuals.

"Disgusting! At one stage we issued a lawyer's letter to a certain local media outlet to put a stop to their rumour mongering," she said adding that the last time she met Capt Zaharie was two weeks before the incident.

Ms Sakinab said Capt Zaharie was a loving, open-minded man who stopped at nothing to render help when it was needed.

"His presence during every family function never failed to light up the occasions. He was always sought after by sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews alike… a man of integrity. He was a generous brother and uncle who often came bearing gifts from his overseas trips," she said.

Capt Zahari, who was 53, was married with three children and one grandchild.

Flight MH370 with 239 people on board disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 last year. It is believed to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

The statement can be read in its entirety at http://www.mh370investigation.com/2015/03/missing-voices-still-lives-ma…

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