Pakistani leaders condole death of Qazi Hussain Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: The leaders of various religious and political parties expressed their heartfelt condolences over the demise of veteran politician and former Jamaat-e-Islami President Qazi Hussain Ahmed.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr. Ishratul Ibad Khan expressed their deep shock and grief over the death of Qazi Hussain Ahmed.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain also expressed his deep shock and grief over the death of Jamaat leader, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 74.
Ahmed, who was suffering from a heart disease and asthma, was shifted to Islamabad from Peshawar for specialized treatment a couple of days back, said his son Asif Luqman Qazi.
“On Saturday night his condition deteriorated and he was driven to a nearby hospital but medics could not resuscitate him,” he added. Ahmed is survived by his wife, two sons and daughters. He was the longest-serving president of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and a former member of both houses of Parliament. He was elected President of Jamaat in 1987 and re-elected thrice to the position.
Described as the most popular JI chief, he was also a prominent religious scholar, Islamic theologian and advocate of Islamic democracy.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad was first elected as member of the Senate in 1986 for a six-year term. In March 1992, he was re-elected to the upper house of Parliament. However, he resigned in 1996 in protest against the “corrupt political system.” In the 2002 general elections, Qazi was elected as a member of the National Assembly from his native constituency of NA-5 Nowshera. He served as the Parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).