Ex-PM Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali passes away

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, 76, passed away on Wednesday, confirmed Senator Sana Jamali.

According to reports, the former prime minister had been seriously ill for the past three to four days and had been on a ventilator.

Sana Jamali, the ex-premier’s niece, confirmed that he had been undergoing treatment over the past couple of days at the AFIC.

Born on January 1, 1944, Jamali hailed from district Naseerabad’s Rojhan area. He began his political career in 1970 and after the general elections of 1977, became an MPA of the Balochistan Assembly on a PPP ticket.

During military dictator General (retired) Zia-ul-Haq's regime, Jamali was appointed a state minister. The high point of his political career came in 2002 when on November 23, 2002, he was elected as the 13th prime minister of Pakistan.

He had also served as the chairman of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

As news broke of his death, people took to social media to offer their condolences. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan took to Twitter to share his grief.

PML-Q President Ch Shujat Hussain, Punjab Assembly Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi, MNA Moonis Elahi, MNAs Salik Hussain and and former foreign minister Khursheed Mahmood Kasuri have expressed their grief on Jamali's demise. Ch Shujaat Hussain and Ch Parvez Elahi said they had had a longstanding relationship with the late Jamali. His parliamentary and political services will always be remembered, they added.