Ailing leader: As Pir Pagara’s health worsens, doctors consider advanced treatment

President offers to fly him abroad.

KARACHI:

The spiritual leader of the ‘Hur’ Jamaat and the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) Pir Pagara, who is admitted at the Aga Khan Hospital (AKUH), has reportedly been put on a ventilator.

Doctors and family members have reportedly started discussing if it is viable to take Pir Pagara abroad for medical treatment.

A source in the PML-F told The Express Tribune that Pir Pagara has been put on a ventilator due to a problem with his lungs. Members of his party, the Hur Jamaat and his medical team would not provide any details.

Sources in the Jamaat said President Asif Ali Zardari was not able to visit Pir Pagara due to security reasons. The president has told Pir Pagara’s family that the government can provide a special plane to send him abroad for treatment.  “Doctors have started consulting family members whether Pir sahib is able to travel or not. We can make a decision after that,” said a leader of Hur Jamaat. Rumours about Pir Pagara’s health have circulated since he was admitted to AKUH on November 24. Initially, PML-F leaders believed it was for a routine check-up but later confirmed that his lungs had been operated on and he would be released soon. Doubts emerged after PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi were not allowed to see Pir Pagara at the Intensive Care Unit.  “Pir sahib was on a ventilator which has now been removed. We can say that he is recovering to some extent,” PML-F leader Imtiaz Shaikh said. According to Shaikh, Pir Pagara was initially suffering from respiratory problems because of his smoking habit and doctors had suggested the operation. “He is around 83 years old. Naturally it will take a little time for his health to recover,” he said.

Shah Mardan Shah or Pir Sikandar Shah is the seventh chieftain of his Jamaat. His father Syed Sabighatullah Shah Rashidi was hanged on March 20, 1943 in Central Jail Hyderabad by the British government during his struggle against their reign. His burial place is still a mystery. After his execution, the British government took his two sons into their custody in England.  They were released after negotiations and brought to Pakistan in 1951.

There are around 12 Khalifa (Caliphs) of the Hur Jamaat who run its affairs.  Chief Khalifa Qadir Bux Mangrio said that credit goes to current Pir Pagara who devotedly organised his Jamaat after the execution of his father.  He said that Hur Jamaat members are praying for his recovery.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2012.