Senior leader of PML-N Mushahidullah dies
ISLAMABAD: Senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan passed away in Islamabad early Thursday morning at the age of 68.
The cause of death was not immediately clear. He had been awarded a ticket by the PML-N to contest the upcoming Senate elections on a general seat from Punjab.
An outspoken and aggressive PML-N loyalist, Khan was not a man known to mince words. He had no qualms about hiting his opponents below the belt and it seemed that this unflinching, aggressive loyalty is what endeared him to the Sharif brothers all these years.
Following the 1999 military coup staged by Pervez Musharraf, when most of the Sharifs’ comrades-in-arms jumped ship and joined the king’s party, Khan chose to take on the military strongman head on.
Within 24 hours of Musharraf taking over, Khan convened a press conference where he was less than flatering about the newly-imposed military regime and summarily resigned from the two lucrative positions he held at the time; as administrator of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and as adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower.
For his troubles, he was imprisoned and, by his own admission, had to endure several “atrocities” perpetrated by the military regime of the time.
Even though well-respected in party circles, his temper and lack of a filter when it came to making public statements oten landed him in hot water. From quarrelling with fellow guests on TV talk shows to provoking opposition parliamentarians on the floor of the house, his fellow party leaders said that he seldom played nice.
The news was also confirmed by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz. In a tweet, she prayed tribute to the senator’s services, calling him the “loyal and exceptional companion” of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
“I am shatered to hear the sad news. Will never be able to forget his fatherly affection and love. Huge, huge loss,” she said.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed grief over the demise of the senator. In a statement, he said Khan was a seasoned politician and a good human being. He also prayed for the departed soul.
Information Minister Shibli Faraz also expressed grief over the senator’s demise. “He played an important role in promoting parliamentary and democratic values,” he said.