PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s caretaker chief minister, Mohammad Azam Khan, passed away on Saturday morning after a brief illness.

He was 89, Dawn.com reported, citing his nephew Muhammad Ahmed. Mr Khan was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Charsadda district.

He was admitted to the Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar, on Friday due to severe diarrhoea and vomiting, the hospital said. Baseline investigations and an abdominal CT scan revealed he had obstructed inguinal hernia.

“Throughout the night, Mr Khan remained stable; however, on Saturday at 9am, he experienced a sudden collapse, likely attributable to a severe cardiac event,” the hospital said. “Despite extensive resuscitation efforts and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) administered in the ICU for approximately 90 minutes, he could not be revived,” it said, adding that Mr Khan was officially declared dead at 10:30am.

The KP government has announced three days of mourning, from Saturday to Monday.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2023