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KOHAT: Former federal minister and Senator Abbas Afridi succumbed to burn injuries on Friday at the Kharian burn centre, a day after suffering 90 per cent burns in a gas leak blast, while three others also sustained injuries in the incident.
The ex-PML-N politician was brought to his hometown of Kohat, where he was laid to rest following funeral prayers at the Babri Banda graveyard at 5pm.
Mr Afridi was initially taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Kohat in what his nephew described as a “precarious condition”. He was then airlifted to a specialised burns centre in Kharian, where he passed away on Friday.
Three other people were injured in the Thursday night explosion, which occurred in Afridi’s hujra, a traditional guest reception area, in the Azeem Bagh neighbourhood.
Rescue 1122 team quickly arrived on the scene with a pair of ambulances and a fire truck, administering first aid to the victims before transporting them to the hospital.
Dil Nawaz, who was airlifted with Mr Afridi, suffered 45pc burns. Two others, Javed Afridi and Nadeem, sustained injuries to their hands while helping the victims and were transferred to Peshawar and CMH Kohat, respectively.
Meanwhile , the Bilitang police have initiated an investigation to determine whether the blast was caused by a gas leak or if an “enmity factor or political rivalry was involved.”
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued condolence messages expressing their grief.
Though a billionaire with a large business transporting goods to Afghanistan, Afridi was described as a “down to earth popular figure.”
He had recently quit politics and the PML-N party but said he would maintain his friendship with former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
Regarding his decision to leave politics, Afridi had said that it was “complete hypocrisy and the whole system was corrupt to the roots.”
In his message, Nawaz Sharif said he had lost “a trusted and honest companion.”
“May Allah Almighty rest his soul in peace and grant him highest place in Jannah and grant courage to his family to bear the loss,” the statement added.
Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2025
