LAHORE: The mother of the Sharifs was laid to rest at the family’s Jati Umra estate here on Saturday.

Allama Raghib Naeemi led the funeral prayers for Begum Shamim Akhtar at the Sharif Medical City in Raiwind. A good number of people including the Sharif family members, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and workers attended the funeral.

Prominent among the family and party leaders were Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Raja Zafarul Haq, Ahsan Iqbal, Raja Farooq Haider, Pervaiz Rashid, Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Asif, Amir Muqam, Awais Leghari, Mohammad Mehdi, Pervaiz Malik, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Hanif Abbasi, Ghulam Dastagir and Saad Rafique.

ANP leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour also attended the funeral.

After the funeral prayers, the coffin was taken to Jati Umra, where Begum Akhtar was laid to rest next to the grave of her husband, Mian Sharif.

Shehbaz, Hamza released on parole for funeral

Strict security arrangements were made on the occasion and the road leading to Jati Umra was cordoned off.

Begum Akhtar died in London last Sunday. Her funeral was also held in London on Friday which was attended by her elder son Nawaz Sharif and other family members.

The body was flown to Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, where Shehbaz Sharif received it early on Saturday.

The PML-N president and his son Hamza have been released on a five-day parole to attend the last rites of his mother. Both the father and son are on judicial remand in the money laundering and income beyond means cases instituted by the National Accountability Bureau.

The PML-N had sought two weeks’ parole but the government declined the request.

Qul, which the PML-N says will be attended only by members of the Sharif family, will be held on Sunday (today) at Jati Umra.

PML-N supreme leader and the party president have appealed to the people to offer Fateha for Begum Akhtar on the day of Qul in their respective areas.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called on PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz at Jati Umra and condoled with her the death of her grandmother.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2020