Senior PPP leader Rehman Malik passes away at 70

Senior PPP leader and former interior minister Rehman Malik passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 70 after he fell critically ill due to coronavirus-related complications.

His spokesperson Riaz Ali Turi confirmed the news through his official Twitter handle. “Deeply devastated to say that former interior minister, PPP's senior leader Abdul Rehman Malik passed away,” he said.

Earlier this month, Malik was put on ventilator after his health deteriorated.

Sources close to the former interior minister said that he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Islamabad for treatment of lung complications, which he developed after contracting Covid-19.  However, his condition continued to worsen and doctors subsequently put him on a ventilator on February 1.

Malik’s burial will take place on Thursday (today) at Islamabad’s H-8 sector graveyard at 2.30pm. He is survived by widow and two sons.

Malik was a senator for the PPP and had served as the interior minister for the country from 2008 to 2013.

He had earned a master's degree in statistics from the University of Karachi in 1973. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the same varsity.

He was also a recipient of the Sitara-e-Shujaat for his services in the Federal Investigation Agency and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz.

As the news of the former minister's demise spread, party members as well as other politicians, took to the micro-blogging site to offer their condolences.

In his message, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed grief saying the former minister had "always practiced politics of honesty and principles."

PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to Malik, saying he was a "hardworking and capable interior minister".

He noted that Malik's services to the country were “unforgettable” and the PPP leadership and workers shared the grief with the deceased’s family.

PPP senior leader Sherry Rehman also offered her condolences.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif extended his "condolences and profound sympathies to the bereaved family and the PPP leadership."

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid also expressed sorrow over the PPP stalwart’s demise.

PPP Senator Saleem Mandviwalla said he was "deeply saddened" on hearing the news of Malik’s demise and praised him as a "good man and amazing politician".

"Rehman Malik's death is a great loss for the country's politics. The vacuum created by Rehman Malik's demise can never be filled," he said, adding that his services for the PPP will always be remembered.
 

PML-N senior leader Ahsan Iqbal tweeted, "I am deeply saddened by the demise of former interior minister Rehman Malik. May God forgive him and grant patience to his family".