KARACHI: The sudden death of eminent neurologist Dr Nadir Ali Syed, who passed away on Friday at the age 60 at his residence, has left the medical community and people, whose lives he touched and healed in countless ways, in shock and grief.

It is learnt that Dr Syed, who was widely recognised for his work in adult neurology, particularly in the treatment of epilepsy, stroke and chronic headache management, remained professionally active until his last day.

His funeral prayers will be offered on Sunday (today) after Zuhar at Jamia Masjid-o-Imam Bargah Yasrab, Phase IV, Defence Housing Authority.

He leaves behind his wife and three children. He was son of Prof Shaukat Ali Syed, a towering figure in the field of cardiology in the country.

Dr Syed was a pioneer in the field of movement disorders and made invaluable contributions to the development of national treatment guidelines for Parkinson’s disease. He was associated with the Aga Khan University (AKU) as a faculty member and with South City Hospital, where he served as a consultant neurologist and senior member of the hospital’s board of directors.

“I first met him in 1999 when he was heading the neurology department at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and accepted my request for training in neurophysiology. On Thursday night, I had my last conversation with him,” said Dr Abdul Malik, president of the Pakistan Stroke Society.

He said the late professor had agreed to attend the conference scheduled for September this year. He praised Dr Syed’s pioneering work and described him as a gem of a person. “He was a superb professional and a wonderful human being. He has done extraordinary work in movement disorders in Pakistan and helped establish societies for this cause.”

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2025