ANP leader Arbab Zahir passes away

PESHAWAR: A senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) and former state minister Arbab Mohammad Zahir Khan breathed his last here on Monday.

He was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Landi Arbab village. A large number of people from different walks of life attended the funeral. Arbab Zahir was the son of prominent Muslim League leader Arbab Noor Mohammad Khan. He received his education from Aitchison College Lahore and joined the ANP in 1990.

Before joining the ANP, Arbab Zahir served as chairman of the district council Peshawar.  In 1993, he was elected member of the provincial assembly on the ANP ticket. Later he was elected as Member of the National Assembly. He also served as minister of state for defence and narcotics.

Meanwhile, the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain expressed shock over the demise of Arbab Mohammad Zahir. In their condolence statements, they termed his death a great loss to the party and the area. They said Arbab Zahir was a popular leader and the people of his area elected him repeatedly to the provincial and national assemblies. They expressed sympathy with the bereaved family.