PPP leader Lateef Mughal passes away

The politician and labour leader had been battling cancer for 13 years

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Lateef Raza Mughal passed away at the age of 58 on Monday, after battling cancer for several years.

Mughal had been associated mostly with the PPP's labour union while he was also made the party's information secretary for Karachi. He had been diagnosed with cancer 13 years ago. He was admitted to Aga Khan University Hospital for the past few days where died of throat cancer.

Praising his struggle for the workers' class, National Trade and Union Federation Deputy Secretary General Nasir Mansoor said Mughal's demise was a great loss for the city, adding that he was one of those revolutionary workers that are hard to find in the current era and even though he was associated with the PPP, he sided with labourers whenever there was a matter of choice between the labourers and the party.



Mansoor also mentioned the great struggle, which Mughal did during the time when the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) was being privatised. Mughal, who had been the general secretary of the Peoples Labour Union, led the fight from the front. Mansoor added that Mughal was vocal against privatisation of the KESC even though many PPP members were favouring it. He was an optimistic person and one of the few remaining ideological workers of PPP, said Mansoor, adding that he was respected by all the labour unions as he played the role of a bridge between them.She

The secretary general of PPP Sindh, Waqar Mehdi, said that Mughal was associated with the party during his youth and emerged as a strong labour leader. Mehdi further said that apart from being the general secretary of the labour union, he had also held several other offices of the party, including information secretary for Karachi and member of the party's media cell.

Mehdi added that it was Mughal's daily routine to visit people's secretariat of the party to meet the fellow workers. He said the whole party was upset after his demise, adding that arrangements had been made to send him abroad for treatment but the doctors did not allow him to travel.

The deceased labour leader has left behind six children, including two sons and four daughters. His funeral prayers will be held on Tuesday at Pakola Mosque near Garden.