MURREE: Former minister and ex-general secretary of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Punjab Raja Ashfaq Sarwar passed away after a prolonged illness on Saturday and was laid to rest in his native Ghora Gali village.

A large number of PML-N workers and people from various areas of Murree, Kotli Sattiyan and Rawalpindi attended the funeral despite the coronavirus lockdown.

Raja Isfaq remained the minister for youth affairs, forestry, wildlife and fisheries as well as health in the successive governments of PML-N in Punjab.

He was considered as a close associate of PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif.

Raja Ashfaq was son of late Raja Ghulam Sarwar of Ghorra Gali, a two-time member of the West Pakistan Assembly.

Raja Ashfaq was elected Member Punjab Assembly in 1988 as an independent candidate and later joined the PML-N and became its MPA in 1990, 1993 and 1997. During the regime of Gen Musharraf, he remained in exile for many years.

Later, he returned to the country and was chosen as the general secretary of the PML-N Punjab twice. He was again elected MPA on a PML-N ticket in 2013 but lost the 2018 elections to retired Major Latasab Satti of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

After the elections, he fell sick.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolence on the death of Raja Ashfaq and said he was a close and loyal associate of the party leadership.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said he was elected member and provincial minister and served his people for more than 30 years.

MNAs Khwaja Asif, Saad Rafiq, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, former deputy speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi, PML-N spokesperson Maryum Aurangzaib, PML-N local leaders Hafiz Usman Abbasi, Daftar Abbasi and others expressed grief on the death of Raja Ashfaq.

Ex-MNA dies

Former parliamentarian and PML-N leader Raja Mohammad Afzal Khan from Jhelum passed away after a brief illness and burried in his native village Wagh near Jhelum.

Raja Mohammad Afzal had been a prominent local figure of PML-N and had been elected many times as MNA on his party tickets.

His two sons Raja Asad Khan and Raja Safdar Khan were also elected as MNAs from both seats of district jhelum during 2008 elections.

The political and social circles have expressed their grief over the demise of the veteran politician of the Jhelum.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2020