KARACHI: Renowned religious scholar, former senator and founding chief of the Jafria Alliance Allama Mohammad Abbas Kumaili passed away on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 77.

His funeral prayer was offered in the evening at Mehfil-i Shah-i-Khurasan off M.A. Jinnah Road.

Allama Kumaili was elected a member of the Senate from the platform of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 2003. He remained a member of the upper house till 2009. However, he was not seen actively engaged with the party after retiring from the Senate for unknown reasons.

He was known for his efforts and contribution for sectarian harmony in the city, which has witnessed years of political, sectarian and ethnic violence and bloodshed.

Allama Kumaili was hit by a personal tragedy when his 40-year-old son, Allama Ali Akbar Kumaili, was slain in an armed attack in September 2014 in the Azizabad area.

Condolence messages and tributes to the late cleric started pouring in minutes after the news of his demise hit TV screens. Politicians, rights activists and other public figures offered messages of grief and condolence.

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the allama’s death.

In a statement issued by the PM Office, the prime minister said that the late cleric was a strong voice for the unity of Muslims and sectarian harmony. He also prayed for the departed soul and the bereaved family.

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also shared the same feelings in their separate statements.

Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, MQM leader and federal minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman and Mustafa Kamal of the Pak Sarzameen Party were among many leaders who offered condolences and expressed grief over the demise of Allama Kumaili.

Allama Kumaili passed his intermediate from Saint Patrick’s College and picked interfaith harmony as his subject of research for his doctorate. He was a cricket lover in his youth and even played first class cricket till 1966 when he turned to religion and started delivering sermons as a zakir.

He was laid to rest in Ali Bagh graveyard in Chakiwara. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2019