LAHORE: Former Punjab governor and PTI-backed MNA Mian Muhammad Azhar passed away on Tuesday, his party confirmed.
The PTI announced the death in a post on X and extended its condolences to his son and party leader, Hammad Azhar. Mian Azhar served as the governor of Punjab from August 11, 1990, till April 10, 1993.
He was elected as Member of National Assembly from Lahore as PTI-backed candidate last year.
Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan praised him as a person of “noble character” whose “political and national services” would be remembered for a long time.
Former Interior Minister and PTI MNA Shehryar Khan Afridi took to social media blogging site, X, to register his condolences over the sad departing of Mian Azhar. He said that Mian Azhar was not only his colleague but also a friend of his late father.
He said that the sad departure of Mian Azhar was his personal loss and he shared the sorrow and grief of Hammad Azhar and other members of the bereaved family.
Former Sindh governor and ex-PTI leader Imran Ismail said he was deeply saddened to hear of the death and praised the deceased as a “distinguished political figure”.
He was also the founding president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and joined the PTI in October 2011.
He was the PTI-backed candidate in the February 2024 general elections for NA-129 (Lahore-XIII) and joined the Sunni Ittehad Council later on.
In January 2024, he was also taken into custody in Lahore only to be released after a few hours as police launched a crackdown on PTI-affiliated candidates and supporters who took to the streets on party founder Imran Khan’s call.
