ISLAMABAD: Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan's founding leader, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, died in Lahore at the age of 54, confirmed one of his party spokespersons, Muhammad Ali, while talking to Arab News in Karachi.
The cause of death was not known immediately, though local media claimed he was unwell and suffering from fever for the last few days.
Rizvi's last political activity was to lead an anti-France demonstration outside Islamabad to protest the publication of caricatures disparaging Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in that country.
According to media reports, he complained of fever while he was still leading the campaign and was taken to Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore on Thursday where he was pronounced dead.
His party emerged after Mumtaz Qadri, a police commando, assassinated Punjab governor, Salman Taseer, in January 2011 for defending a Pakistani Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, who was charged with blasphemy and sentenced to death.
Rizvi and his associates launched a campaign for Qadri's release since they thought he had acted to protect the honor of the prophet (pbuh).
The TLP leader and his party also held nationwide protests against Bibi's acquittal in October 2018.
Other than that, Rizvi led protests against a Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, who announced an anti-Islam cartoon competition.
A controversial preacher who used strong language to revile his critics, Rizvi was accused of weaponizing the issue of blasphemy in a country where religious sensitivities usually run high.
His recent demonstration forced the government to consider the possibility of expelling the French ambassador after taking up the issue in parliament.
Founder of hardline Pakistani Islamist party dies after leading sit-in
https://arab.news/wz2z5
Founder of hardline Pakistani Islamist party dies after leading sit-in
- Rizvi recently led an anti-France demonstration outside Islamabad, asking the government to expel the French ambassador
- The TLP leader shot to fame after running a campaign for Mumtaz Qadri's release who assassinated a sitting Punjab governor in 2011
Pakistan expresses condolences as Bangladesh’s first female PM passes away
- Khaleda Zia passed away in Dhaka after prolonged illness at the age of 80, says her party
- PM Shehbaz Sharif describes Zia as a “committed friend of Pakistan” in condolence message
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed condolences over the passing of Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, describing her as a committed friend of Islamabad.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced its leader Zia had passed away at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. She died at the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where the former prime minister was admitted on Nov. 23 with symptoms of a lung infection, according to The Daily Star, a Bangladesh news website.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the BNP and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
“Her lifelong service to Bangladesh and its growth and development leaves a lasting legacy.”
Sharif said his government and people stand with the people of Bangladesh during this difficult time.
“Begum Zia was a committed friend of Pakistan,” he added.
Pakistan and Bangladesh used to be part of the same country before the latter seceded into the separate nation of Bangladesh after a bloody civil war in 1971.
Ties between the two countries have remained mostly strained since then. However, Islamabad enjoyed better relations with Dhaka under Zia’s government compared to when Bangladesh was led by her arch-rival, Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina was ousted after a violent uprising last year, leading to improved relations between Islamabad and Dhaka.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February 2026.
The BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner, and Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
-With additional input from AFP
