Former NA speaker Elahi Bux Soomro passes away

KARACHI: Veteran politician Elahi Bux Soomro passed away after a protracted illness in Karachi on Wednesday. He was 98.His grandson Sardarzada Maula Bux Soomro announced his death in a post on Facebook. The late Soomro belonged to a politically influential family from Sindh. A native of District Shikarpur, Soomro served as speaker of the 16th National Assembly from February 16 1997 to August 20, 2001. He had been away from active politics for quite some time due to his bad health. Earlier, he remained associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Soomro had been staying at his residence in Karachi at EI Lines on Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Road. He was an engineer by profession. He remained very close to past rulers in Pakistan, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, General Ziaul Haq and Nawaz Sharif. He was widely respected by political circles in Sindh. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori, in his condolence message, praised the late Soomro for his polite personality and well-mannered conduct in politics. He said Soomro had always been concerned about democratic dispensation in Pakistan.