ISLAMABAD: PML-N Senator Kalsoom Parveen passed away after battling with the coronavirus here on Monday. She was 75 years old.

Ms Parveen, who was elected senator in 2015 from Balochistan, had contracted the virus last month and was initially admitted to Polyclinic and later shifted to a private hospital in the capital.

An official of the Senate said the body of Ms Parveen was sent to Balochistan for burial.

Earlier, PML-N Member of Punjab Assembly Shaukat Manzoor Cheema and Sindh Human Settlement Minister Ghulam Murtaza Baloch died of coronavirus.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assmebly Member Munir Orakzai also died days after recovering from the virus. Minister for agriculture Gilgit-Baltistan Janbaz Khan also succumbed to the deadly virus.

Moreover, MPA from KP Mian Jamshid Uddin Kakakhel also died from Covid-19.Ms Parveen was initially elected senator on a reserved seat of the PML-Q in 2003. However, she was not given a ticket by the PML-Q in 2009 due to which she decided to contest as an independent candidate and was re-elected. Later, she joined the Balochistan National Party Awami and in 2015 quit the party. She got support of PML-N during the elections held in 2015 and again became a senator.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi offered condolences to the family of Ms Parveen.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said the upper house of parliament has lost an active, wise and honest member, who was concerned for the country’s development.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Senator Rehman Malik, Senator Faisal Javed and others also extended condolences to the family and expressed deep sorrow over the demise. They said the deceased was a strong voice for the people of Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2020