QUETTA: The senior deputy chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) , Abdul Rahim Mandokhel, was laid to rest in his native village in Zhob district on Sunday.

Mr Mandokhel passed away on Saturday afternoon after a prolonged illness. He was 81.

Thousands of supporters, party workers and leaders of various political parties, including PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, provincial ministers, members of the Balochistan Assembly, Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, Senator Saeedul Hasan Mandokhel, Commandant of Frontier Corps and Afghan Consul General in Quetta Waheedullah Mohmand attended the funeral prayers at Irfan Stadium.

The representative of Afghan envoy read out condolence messages from Afghan President Asharf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. They paid rich tribute to Mr Mandokhel, saying he was a bright star of the Afghan nation and his political struggle for rights could not be forgotten.

Speaking on the occasion, the PkMAP chairman lauded the political struggle of Mr Mandokhel and said that he struggled throughout his life for the rights of the downtrodden and never compromised on principles.

“Abdul Rahim Mandokhel’s whole life is an open book for every person of the society,” he said. “We want to tell the world that Pashtoons are not terrorists. No one should throw stone on our mosque; we never hurl stone on churches and temples.”

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2017