MPs, religious leaders, diplomats turn up to condole with former information minister
Zubair Qureshi
The late mother of former Information Minister and ex-MNA Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan played a significant role all her life for education of girls, empowerment of women and support for the poor and the needy families, particularly in District Sialkot.
Her noble deeds are indeed a Sadqa-e-Jarya (lasting charity) and Allah Almighty would reward her soul in return. These views were expressed by Allama Sheikh Muhammad Shafa Najafi while leading a collective Dua for the departed soul at the Imam Bargah al-Sadiq, Sector G-9/2 on Thursday.
Allama Shifa Najafi termed her death a great loss not only for Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and her siblings but also for the people of Sialkot and the suburbs. It is now our duty to follow her footsteps and do our best for the welfare and prosperity of the people, he said.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan’s mother passed away last month after a prolonged illness. She was admitted at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) and people from all walks of life had come to condole her death.
On Thursday too, one could see a large number of the workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Islamabad and District Sialkot raising their hands in prayer for her soul’s eternal peace.
Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Mirza Muhammad Afridi, PTI’s Members of the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Awan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar, Member Punjab Assembly (PP-13) Haji Amjad Mehmood Chaudhry and PTI local leaders were among those who had come to condole the death of Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan’s mother.
Ambassador of Iran, Syed Mohammad Ali Hosseini and Ambassador of Iraq Hamid Abbas Lafta had also come along with delegations to sympathize with the former information minister.
One could also see Executive Editor Pakistan Observer Gauhar Zahid Malik, former DG CDA Iftikhar Ahmed Awan, Amb (R) Qazi Humayun, writer, poet and intellectual Dr Ghazanfar Mehdi, Deputy Director NHA Sibtain Raza Lodhi, senior journalist Pervaiz Shaukat, friends and colleagues of Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan expressing their heartfelt condolences over her mother’s death.
PTI’s estranged leader ex-Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen and Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Sports and Tourism Aun Chaudhry were also among those who had come for condolences.
At the end of the collective Dua ceremony, the participants were served with food.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan expressed her gratitude to all those who had arrived to share her grief. This is a reassuring gesture and will help me recover the irreparable loss of my life, she said.
