Former defence minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar passes away

Bilawal remembers senior party leader as 'a steadfast and experienced leader; an asset to the party'

Former defence minister and chairman Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar passed away on Tuesday. He was 74 years old.

A long-time member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Mukhtar had served as the defence minister in the former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani-led cabinet.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed grief over the demise of the former federal minister. He remembered Mukhtar as a steadfast and experienced leader and an asset to the party.

"I am deeply saddned by his demise. We will always miss him," Bilawal added.

On behalf of the PPP, the chairman extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also extended his condolences on the demise of the former minister.

In a tweet, the PIA administration also offered their deepest condolences to his friends and family.

"May Allah rest his soul in heaven. On behalf of CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik and PIA family, we express deepest condolences to his friends and kins," the tweet read.

Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar - Former Defence Minister & Chairman PIA, breathed his last today. May Allah rest his soul in heaven. On behalf of CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik & PIA Family, we express deepest condolences to his friends & kins. pic.twitter.com/HT9xd7GnXq

— PIA (@Official_PIA) November 25, 2020

Former president Asif Zardari also expressed grief on the death of Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar. The PPP co-chairperson lauded the senior PPP leader's services rendered to the party, adding that the party's leadership and workers were saddened on his death.

"Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar was a courageous, brave and devoted colleague," he observed. The former president extended his condolences to the family members of the late PPP stalwart.