LAHORE: Rafiq Tarar, a former Pakistani judge who served as the country's President from 1997 to 2001, died on Monday in the eastern city of Lahore after a prolonged illness at the age of 92.
Tarar's grandson, Azam Tarar, announced on Twitter that his grandfather had died.
Pakistan's President Arif Ali, Prime Minister Imran Khan and prominent politicians expressed their grief, along with the country's military chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Tarar was elected the country's president after the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif backed him in the presidential election in 1997. Tarar was a close friend of Sharif, who won the parliamentary elections in 1997.
Sharif was ousted from power by a former military dictator Pervez Musharraf in 1999 in a bloodless coup. However, Musharraf allowed Tarar to continue working as President until 2001 when he forced Tarar to resign and replaced him.
Musharraf is currently living in self-imposed exiled in Dubai after being forced to resign in 2008 when politicians backing him lost parliamentary elections. Sharif, who was ordered out in 2017 by a court over charges of corruption, has been living in exile in London.
Former Pakistani president Rafiq Tarar dies at 92
https://arab.news/vzf25
Former Pakistani president Rafiq Tarar dies at 92
- Tarar was elected the country's president in 1997
- He was a close friend of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif
Pakistan leaders wish Saudi King Salman well after hospital admission for tests
- Pakistani PM and President express concern, pray for the King's swift recovery
- The official Saudi media has not shared the nature of the King’s visit to the hospital
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister and president on Friday expressed concern over the health of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz, offering prayers and well wishes after state media said he had been admitted to hospital in Riyadh for medical examinations.
The Saudi Press Agency reported the King was undergoing medical tests at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, with no further information regarding the nature of the visit or his medical condition.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistanis held the Saudi King in high regard and were praying for his recovery.
“Deeply concerned by the news that Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is admitted in hospital for medical tests,” he said. “The people of Pakistan hold His Majesty in the highest esteem. We join our Saudi brothers and sisters in praying for His Majesty’s swift and complete recovery.”
President Asif Ali Zardari also conveyed his wishes, saying the entire Pakistani nation was praying for the Saudi King’s health and well-being, according to a statement issued by the presidency.
Pakistan has longstanding diplomatic and institutional ties with Saudi Arabia, and its leadership has consistently expressed deep respect for the Saudi royal family, particularly in view of the Kingdom’s religious significance and its role in the Muslim world.
