The wife of the last ruler of Khairpur — a princely state before its accession to Pakistan — passed away on Thursday at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) after a protracted illness, according to SIUT officials.

Alya Talpur, wife of Prince Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur II, was admitted to SIUT around three weeks ago, said the hospital spokesperson, Dr Bakhsh Ali.

"She had been on dialysis for the past eight to 10 years," he told Dawn.

The princess was the daughter of the prominent religious scholar, Allama Rasheed Turabi.

She leaves behind two sons, Mir Abbas Raza Khan Talpur and Mir Mehdi Raza Khan Talpur, and a daughter to mourn her death.

Alya Talpur had been active in organising religious gatherings at the famous ‘Faiz Mahal’, located on Kot Diji's hillside.

Take a look: The Majestic Faiz Mahal

She was also involved in philanthropy and the promotion of education among boys and girls in Khairpur, recalled writer and journalist, Mumtaz Bukhari, who has written a drama on the royal family and produced a documentary on the same.

The late princess provided a school near her Kot Diji residence and received a rent of only one rupee ‘just to maintain her ownership’ of the school building, added Bukhari.