LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader and former federal minister Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Awan passed away in Multan on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 83.

He was a close associate of the PPP’s founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and remained minister in Punjab during the ZAB era. He was arrested under Gen Zia’s martial law, was tortured with lashes and remained in jail. He was again jailed during the Gen Mushraf martial law.

His funeral prayers will be offered at 9am on Wednesday (today) at Abdali Mosque in Multan.

Awan was regarded as one of the founding leaders of the party and was widely considered the face of the party in Multan. He served as a federal minister in the Benazir government in 1988.

President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed sorrow over the death of Awan. Paying tribute to public services of the deceased, he said that Mukhtar Awan was a sincere, dignified and loyal political worker whose services would always be remembered. The president prayed for the soul of the departed.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2026