FORMER Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, considered to be one of the rare saner voices in an otherwise turbulent political arena, has passed away leaving a vacuum that would be difficult to fill. Jamali, who served as the Premier from November 2002 until June 2004, was shifted to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology & National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) in Rawalpindi after suffering a heart attack last week and breathed his last on Wednesday.
The need for sober, balanced and caring personalities was badly being felt in the given political scenario of Pakistan where most of the leaders are not on talking terms and churn out venomous remarks and statements on an almost daily basis embittering the political environment further. Incidentally, apart from serving as Chief Minister of Balochistan, he was the first and the only elected Prime Minister from the country’s largest province {area-wise} and served in this capacity from 2002 until 204 when his resignation was sought by General Pervez Musharraf. Despite having a feudal and tribal background, Jamali was a humble and decent personality, soft spoken and well mannered. Unlike some of the politicians from Balochistan, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali did talk about issues of Balochistan and problems of its people but within the ambit of decency, law and the Constitution. He was a patriotic leader strongly committed to resolution of differences through political dialogue and upheld the cause of Pakistan throughout his political career. This was perhaps because he was born into a Baloch political family of Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali, a close friend of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and he himself had been a supporter of Fatima Jinnah when she contested presidential election against Ayub Khan. As a sportsman, he continued efforts for the promotion of hockey in the country and was twice appointed as chief selector of the Pakistan hockey team. It was under his supervision that Pakistan won the Atlanta Olympics title. May Allah Almighty bless his soul with eternal peace.
