NAWABSHAH: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i-Azam president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and secretary general Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed arrived at the Nawabshah airport by a chartered flight from Islamabad on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, they said they were here on their way to Hala where they intended to offer condolences to the Makhdoom family on the recent death of Makhdoom Amin Fahim.

They avoided answering reporters’ questions regarding the ongoing local government elections and the political situation in the country and Sindh.

When asked about the possibility of a military takeover amid an uncertain situation in the country, Mr Sayed declined to offer comments. He said he would also not comment on alleged rigging in the local government elections as the process was almost over.

However, in reply to a question about the Monday meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, the PML-Q leader said he believed the ice had hardened instead of melting.

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and Haleem Adil Sheikh visited the Makhdoom House in Hala later and offered their condolences to Sarwari Jamaat chief Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman on the death of his father, Makhdoom Amin Fahim. They offered Fateha for the departed soul, PPI adds.

Later, speaking to the media, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that his relations with the late Makhdoom spanned over 30 years. The relations were not political alone but also personal. They both worked for the national cause.

He described Makhdoom Amin Fahim as a true patriotic Pakistani and said he commanded great respect in all four provinces. “He never compromised on principles,” the PML-Q chief said, and noted that the Makhdoom’s services for democracy had always been appreciated.

He hoped that Makhdoom Jameel­uzzaman would carry on the values upheld by his father in politics, social service and spiritual guidance.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed also paid tribute to the late Makhdoom’s services to the country and nation. “He was deeply committed to poetry, besides politics,” he said, adding that the late PPP-Parliamentarian chief led his party during the most difficult times like a brave politician.

He hoped that Makhdoom Jameeluzzaman would also play the role of a bridge between federation and the provinces.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015