ISLAMABAD: A large number of people on Monday gathered at the residence of former senator Enver Baig to offer Fateha and pay tributes to him.

Mr Baig passed away on April 21 at a local hospital at the age of 77. The funeral of the outspoken politician was held at the H-11 graveyard on April 22.

On Monday, a large number of people reached at his house in F-7/2 to offer Fateha for the departed soul.

According to Wasim Haqqi, a close friend of Mr Baig, those who visited the house included former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, his sister Saadia Abbasi, National Assembly SpeakerRaja Pervaiz Ashraf, former chairman Senate Wasim Sajjad, Gen Ehsan, Barrister Khawar, Omar Ayub, Zamarud Khan, ambassadors Riaz Khokhar and Abdul Basit.

Mr Haqqi said Mr Baig was the only person in the federal capital who provided an opportunity to politicians, diplomats and journalists to meet each other without caring about their party affiliation and nature of job.

“He was very social and had very good relations with diplomats, media and officers of armed forces,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that after spending more than a decade in the PPP, Mr Baig parted ways with the party in August 2011. Mr Baig, who was once very close to Benazir Bhutto, used to tell his friends that after Ms Bhutto’s tragic death he was finding it difficult to stay in the party as he was not in the good books of the new leadership, mainly because of his straightforward attitude and bold stance on national issues.

In 2012, he joined the PML-N, but did not apply for a Senate ticket, fearing there could be resistance within the party as he was a newcomer. However, when PML-N came to power after the 2013 polls, he was appointed as the chairman of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

Although Mr Baig had developed a good rapport with Nawaz Sharif, other senior leaders never really accepted him in the party.

After serving the BISP for almost a year, Mr Baig resigned, reportedly after developing differences with a key minister.

Later, he was appointed as the chairman of the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation, but according to one of his friends, journalist Rauf Klasra, he did not join the office for a single day.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2023