Former president Rafiq Tarar passes away

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Former president Rafiq Tarar passed away here on Monday after a long illness. He was 92.

Family sources said the former president Rafiq Tarar had a heart attack early Monday and was taken to a hospital but could not recover. Mr Tarar was elected a member of the Senate on a PMLN ticket after retiring as a judge of the Supreme Court in 1997 and then became the country’s president the same year.

During his tenure, the powers of the president were gradually reduced and finally, through the 13th Amendment, the powers of the president were completely reduced in the spirit of the Constitution.

After the removal of Nawaz Sharif’s government by Gen Pervez Musharraf in 1999, he was not removed from office and remained president until 2001. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif and all the party leaders expressed grief over the demise of the former president. Political figures and state officials expressed grief over the demise of the former president Rafiq Tarar and prayed to Allah Almighty for the departed soul.

President Arif Alvi expressed grief over the demise of the 9th president of the country. “May his soul rest in peace, and may Allah grant courage to the family to bear this irreparable loss,” he wrote on Twitter. Prime Minister Imran Khan also took to his Instagram handle and offered his condolences on passing away of former president. COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa expressed heartfelt condolences on the death of former president Rafiq Tarar, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) tweeted. Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also condoled the death of former president.

PMLQ President Chaudhry Shujat Hussain, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi, expressing their grief, said Tarar was a senior jurist and a very sociable person, he had a keen eye on politics, his services as the President of Pakistan can never be forgotten.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and other judges of the apex court Monday expressed sorrow over the demise of former president and ex-Justice of top court RafiqTarar. They extended their heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family.