LAHORE, Dec 11: Politicians belonging to various parties have condoled the death of MMA chairman Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani.

PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain said the late Maulana Noorani had been taking part in movements for restoration of religious values and democracy throughout his life.

His death has caused an irreparable loss to the nation as well as democracy, he added.

The ruling party also hoisted its flag at half mast at the Muslim League House here immediately after receiving the news of the Maulana’s demise.

Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said the MMA chief was a distinguished religious scholar, seasoned parliamentarian and a patriotic politician.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri termed it his personal loss. He said the late Maulana Noorani had worked with his father, Mian Mahmood Ali Kasuri, during the framing of the 1973 Constitution.

Admitting that the Maulana had played an important role in the restoration of democracy, he expressed the hope that his efforts for solving the LFO issue would meet with success.

MMA vice-president Senator Sajid Mir termed it a great national tragedy and said his death had caused the MMA an irreparable damage.

He said despite being a staunch Barelavi, the late Maulana Noorani had always been acceptable to the followers of other sects.

PML-N patron and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and party president Shahbaz Sharif said the Maulana was a religious leader with international popularity who rendered services for Islam within Pakistan as well as abroad.

Former PML-Q chief Mian Azhar said he had played a prominent role in purging society of sectarian trends and had always worked for Ittehad Bainul Muslimeen.

AQP chief and former COAS Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and Muhammad Mahid, Jamaat-i-Islami naib amirs Liaquat Baloch, Prof Khurshid, secretary-general Munawwar Hasan, former amir Mian Tufail Muhammad, deputy secretary-general Malik Ashraf, Farid Piracha, Maulana Abdul Malik, MMA provincial president Hafiz Idrees, PML-N’s Zulfiqar Khosa, Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Tehrik-i-Istiqlal president Rehmat Khan Vardag, Pakistan Awami Tehrik chief Tahirul Qadri, JUP’s K. M. Azhar, Pir Ijaz Hashmi, Syed Mahfooz Mashhadi, Qari Zawwar Bahadur, PDP’s Nazrur Rahman Rana, Khwaja Izhar Amritsari and others also condoled with the family of Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani.

PUNJAB GOVERNOR: Khalid Maqbool expressed profound grief on the death of Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani, says APP.