Transition: PPP MNA Fauzia Wahab passes away

Wahab held many key positions in the PPP and was a close aide of Benazir Bhutto.

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Fauzia Wahab passed away at a private hospital in Karachi on Sunday.  

She went into a coma after remaining in critical condition at an intensive care unit.

Her condition deteriorated on Saturday night owing to the complications after her primary gall bladder surgery.

Two more surgeries were performed in order to control her internal bleeding and other complications. She has been admitted to the Orthopedic Medical Institute (OMI) for the past 23 days, said Wahab's son, Murtaza.

She underwent a Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) last night.

According to the physician, she was gaining and losing consciousness and was having serious breathing problems.

Her internal bleeding had worsened the situation. She has even had a tracheostomy, an operation in which the neck is incised, making an opening in the windpipe in order to allow direct access to the breathing tube.

However, it was difficult to maintain her respiration as oxygen was not reaching her brain.

Wahab's funeral prayers will be offered on Monday in Sultan Masjid, Defence Housing Authority (DHA), said Information Secretary PPP Sindh, Waqar Mehdi.

She is survived by four children.

A student of International Relations from the University of Karachi, Wahab made her way into politics as a student leader and by campaigning for human rights.

She held many key positions in the PPP and was a close aide of the slain leader of the party, Benazir Bhutto.

Condolences

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief and sorrow over Wahab’s demise.

In his condolence message, the president paid tributes to her services for the party, saying that she was a steadfast loyalist who braved difficult situations. Her services would be long remembered.

“She died while fighting to strengthen the democracy and democratic institutions,” the message said.

Zardari also lauded her services as party’s Information Secretary and for human rights in the country.

The president prayed for her soul to rest in eternal peace.

Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain also appreciated her contributions to democracy and said the political void created after her death can never be filled.

National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza and Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi condoled the sad demise of Wahab.

In separate condolence messages to the members of the bereaved family, Speaker and Deputy Speaker expressed their heartfelt grief and sorrow over the sad demise.

They paid rich tribute to her for her services in promotion and restoration of democracy in the country. They said that Wahab was a seasoned politician and legislator of high repute, adding that she rendered valuable contributions during her tenure as member of the National Assembly and that the vacuum created by her death was difficult to fill.

Federal Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar expressed grief and sorrow over Wahab’s demise.

The minister said that she had played a significant role in legislation and debate sessions of the Parliament, paying tribute to her services for the party and in strengthening democracy in the country, adding that that they would be long remembered.

Talking to Express News, Sindh’s information minister Sharjeel Memon condoled Wahab's death, calling her death a huge loss for PPP. He blamed the doctors for alleged negligence, adding that it was the family's decision whether to take legal action against the hospital or not.

MQM senior leader Babar Ghauri, speaking to the media, condoled Wahab's death, also blaming the hospital for alleged negligence.

Sharmila Farooqui, adviser to the Sindh chief minister, said Wahab was a fighter, both in her personal and political life.

 

Read the articles written by Wahab for The Express Tribune here. 

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly mentioned that Fauzia Wahab was survived by three children. The error has been rectified.