LAHORE, Jan 11: Abbas Sharif, younger brother of former prime minister and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, died here on Friday of a cardiac arrest. He was 58.

Sharif felt pain in his chest during Friday prayers. He was shifted to Sharif Medical Complex, but he could not survive. He left behind a wife, two sons and as many daughters.

Maulana Raghib Naeemi led his funeral prayers, which were offered before Isha prayers. Many people could not attend because the media had reported that funeral prayers would be said after Isha prayers.

PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain, Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and PPP Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo attended the burial rituals.

Prominent among other participants were former foreign minister Sartaj Aziz, former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Punjab Assembly speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, former speaker Afzal Sahi, Muhammad Mehdi, Ayaz Sadiq, former district nazim Mian Amer Mahmood, Punjab chief secretary Nasir Khosa, Punjab Police acting inspector general Khan Baig, CCPO Aslam Tareen, Humaun Akhtar Khan, Rana Maqbool, Jehangir Badr, Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Qasim Zia, Munir A Khan, Asif Hashmi, Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa, Dost Khosa, Khwaja Asif and Pervaiz Rashid.

Abbas mostly kept a low profile and joined politics only once when he was elected National Assembly member from Lahore in 1993. His Qul will be held at Jati Umra, Raiwind on Sunday.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf telephoned Nawaz Sharif and offered his condolence. PTI chairman Imran Khan, ANP president Asfandyar Wali, JI ameer Munawwar Hasan and Tehrik Istiqlal president Rehmat Khan Wardag sent their condolence messages.

A PML-N spokesman says party chief Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will meet people coming to offer condolences at Raiwind from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday.