ISLAMABAD: Veteran politician and a prominent senator of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, Irfan Siddiqui, passed away in Islamabad after a brief illness, state media reported on Tuesday. 

Siddiqui was undergoing treatment at an Islamabad hospital for the past two weeks during which health deteriorated, as per media reports. He was the PML-N’s parliamentary leader in the senate and was elected to the upper house of parliament from the general seat in Punjab in 2021.

A veteran parliamentarian, Siddiqui was considered a close aide of former prime minister and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. He was a columnist for Pakistan’s prominent Urdu-language newspaper, Daily Jang, for several years. 

“PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui has passed away in Islamabad after a brief illness,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over Siddiqui’s passing in a statement, expressing his condolences to the deceased senator’s family. 

“Extending his sympathy to the bereaved family, the president said that the late senator rendered immense services for the cause of democracy in Pakistan,” a statement from the official residence of the president said. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Siddiqui as an “important member of the PML-N,” according to Radio Pakistan. 

“Irfan Siddiqui’s services to the party will always be remembered,” Radio Pakistan said, quoting the prime minister.