Zubair Qureshi
Veteran politician, a worker of the Pakistan Movement and former Finance/Foreign Minister, Sartaj Aziz was laid to rest at the H8 Graveyard in Islamabad on Wednesday. He breathed his last a day earlier in the federal capital. He was 95.
Sartaj Aziz’s family members, relatives, colleagues in different political parties and friends attended the funeral prayers in large numbers. Among those who paid their last respects to Sartaj Aziz included former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former information minister Nisar Memon, former Federal Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Sen Chaudhry Tanvir Hussain, Shakeel Awan, PPP leader Farhatullah Babar, Ijazul Haq, Sardar Mehtab Khan, Lt General (R) Abdul Qayyum, Chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Raja Zafarul Haq, Siddique Alfarooq and former PIO Rao Tehseen Ali.
Ambassadors and diplomats of various countries and senior officials of the Foreign and the Finance Ministries were also present to bid adieu to the staunch champion of the Ideology of Pakistan and an architect of Pakistan’s successful economic programme during the first tenure of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government.
Born in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in 1929 Sartaj Aziz was among the very few politicians who remained active till the last breath of their life. He was witness to great events and participated in the political struggle that led to the creation of Pakistan. He had the rare honour of seeing and listening to the Founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his several visits to the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) now KP and worked tirelessly under his leadership for the creation of a homeland of the Muslims of India.
Sartaj Aziz was known as the leading politician who pleaded the case of Pakistan at various international forums particularly during the difficult times when Pakistan decided to go nuclear in 1999 in response to India’s blasts. He was always available to express his views on the raison d’etre of Pakistan and explained how important it was to uphold the Ideology of Pakistan.
Mr Sartaj Aziz was also a close friend of Pakistan Observer’s founder Editor-in-Chief Zahid Malik (late) and was always invited by Mr Zahid Malik to various important events held under the auspices of Pakistan Observer and the Nazriya Pakistan Council (NPC).
