Tributes: Late MPA remembered as ‘man of gentle demeanor’

Provincial Assembly holds condolence reference for PTI’s Siddique Khan

LAHORE: Colleagues from both Opposition and Treasury at the Provincial Assembly session on Monday expressed sorrow over the demise of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Siddique Khan who had passed away on Sunday morning.

The nearly 30-minute session was dedicated to paying respects to the deceased as Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal adjourned the budget debate for Tuesday.

Initiating the proceedings, the Speaker condoled with Opposition benches saying that the House was saddened by Khan’s sudden departure.

Leader of Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed called for a condolence resolution. He also sought the Chair’s permission for inviting other members to offer their condolences.

Rasheed said he was deeply saddened by the demise of his colleague. “Siddique Khan was an active political worker, a grassroots worker whose departure has left a void in our party,” he said. He said Siddique Khan’s popularity among people could be gauged from the fact that he had defeated the likes of [Interior Minister] Chauhdry Nisar Ali in the last election.

PTI’s Saadia Sohail and Shanila Ruth also spoke in the late MPA’s memory. Ruth said she had always looked up to him for guidance, particularly on parliamentary affairs. She said he would always support equal rights for minorities. Ruth said she would always find him by her side while taking up the issue of her community.

Labour and Human Resource Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, too, condoled with Opposition members. As many as 11 lawmakers took the floor to speak on the condolence reference. They included Waheed Gul, Muhammad Afzal, Farzana Nazir, Zulfiqar Ghauri and Baoo Akhtar.

Mian Muhammad Munir said Siddique Khan was a man of gentle demeanor. In politics, too, Munir said, the departed had observed a rational and polite conduct.

Treasury’s Majid Zahoor recalled how he would always want to hear Siddique Khan speak despite him being from the opposition benches. “He would always hold a meaningful conversation,” Zahoor said lauding the late lawmaker’s conduct in the House.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Mian Tariq Mehmood ran down memory lane recalling Siddique Khan’s time as a lawmaker. “It is hard for me to believe he is no more… he was part of the debate until last week. I look over at Opposition benches and feel as if he is still sitting among us,” Mehmood said.

Siddique Khan was elected MPA from PP-7 (Rawalpindi VII) in 2013. He had defeated Chaudhry Nisar Ali.

He was the chair of the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Environment Protection. He had also been elected in local government elections from Rawalpindi and his hometown, Taxila. His brothers, Muhammad Shafique Khan and Ghulam Sarwar Khan, have served as MPAs. Currently, Ghulam Sarwar Khan is an MNA.

The budget debate, scheduled for Monday, will resume on Tuesday (today).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2016.