HYDERABAD/DADU, Jan 11: Veteran parliamentarian and nationalist leader Abdul Hameed Jatoi died at the residence of his son, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, federal minister for industries and production , in Hyderabad on Saturday night.

He had come to Hyderabad to attend the wedding ceremony of his granddaughter and was having dinner when he collapsed and died. He was 82 and had been suffering from some kidney ailment.

Mr Jatoi leaves behind five sons, including MPAs Sadaqat Ali Jatoi and Ehsan Ali Jatoi, eight daughters and his two wives. On Sunday, his body was taken to his native village, Betto Jatoi, in Dadu district where his funeral prayers were offered. He was buried at his ancestral graveyard.

Thousands of people, including Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar, Adviser to the CM on Home Affairs Aftab Ahmad Shaikh, and provincial ministers Altaf Unnar, Irfan Gul Magsi, Irfanullah Marwat and Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, attended the last rites.

Business activities across Dadu came to a halt in mourning. Mr Jatoi joined the Muslim League in early 1940s and was elected to the Sindh Assembly in 1953. He was one of the few MPAs who had opposed the creation of the One Unit.

He was elected to the National Assembly in 1970, 1985 and 1996, and was one of the founding members of the Pakistan People's Party. However, he revolted against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and criticized him on the floor of the National Assembly. He was arrested thrice during the then Bhutto government.

He was also among the MNAs who had supported the demands of Shaikh Mujeebur Rehman and refused to sign the 1973 Constitution. Mr Jatoi never compromised on his principles and had opposed the construction of the proposed Kalabagh dam. He was instrumental in the formation of the Sindh National Alliance and was elected its chairman in late 1980s. He had stopped taking part in politics after the death of his son, former senator Aijaz Jatoi, seven years ago.