Maulana Tariq Jameel stable after undergoing angioplasty

LAHORE: A successful angioplasty procedure was performed to de-clog a major blood vessel of renowned Islamic preacher and scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel in a hospital Tuesday morning where he was admitted following complaining chest pain caused by angina.

Family sources said Maulana Tariq Jameel complained of chest pain soon after his arrival from Canada previous night. Eminent cardiologist Prof Dr Shehryar A Sheikh and Dr Tahir Kamal, who happens to be Maulana’s younger brother, examined him and conducted ECG which showed some erratic behaviour, they said. Finally, doctors performed angiography procedure that indentified a blockage in left circumflex artery (LCX) of the heart. Later in the afternoon, the doctors inserted a stent through a successful angioplasty procedure and shifted him to ICU, where his condition was stated to be stable and improving.

The source informed that Maulana was a chronic heart patient and he had undergone a similar angioplasty in 2010 to insert a stent in another artery. Doctors told The News that the old stent was working well. They said that Maulana had a very hectic schedule in preaching activities within and outside the country which left him little time to rest.

“He has been continuously on the move for the last fortnight and therefore was feeling extremely tired. During his initial checkup in the hospital, he had desired to leave after having some medication, but the doctors did not allow him because his ECG was not showing normal behaviour. The doctors advised him complete rest and avoid exertion for at least couple of weeks,” family sources said.

However, Maulana was feeling much better after the surgery as he also offered his prayer in his room. The doctors avoided to talk to media or issue any statement on Maulana’s condition. It is learnt that the doctors would keep him under observation and decide about discharging or keeping him further under observation on Wednesday (today) on the basis of his condition. The spokespersons for the religious scholar, Noman Liaquat and Tahir Rahimi, also confirmed that Maulana's angioplasty had been completed in the hospital. “One of his heart’s arteries was partially blocked as a result of which one stent was inserted,” they said.

“Maulana Jameel will be kept in the hospital for the next 24 hours,” the spokespersons said.

When contacted, eminent cardiovascular expert Prof Nadeem Hayat Malik said that the prevalence of heart diseases was very high especially in Pakistan and India.

A senior member of the Tableeghi Jamaat, Maulana Tariq Jameel is a well-known preacher in Pakistan and abroad. He is ranked 40th on the 2019 list of the “World's 500 Most Influential Muslims”. After completing his pre-medical education from Government College, Lahore, he was admitted to King Edward Medical College in Lahore, but he left medical college to devote his life for preaching Islam instead with the Tableeghi Jamaat, since under the influence of the Jamaat he had already changed his focus towards Islamic education. He later received formal religious education from noted Islamic seminaries.