Senior Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader and former senator Usman Khan Kakar passed away in Karachi on Monday.
It is with great sadness & grief that we announce that our beloved @UsmankhanPKMAP has passed away in Karachi.
His funeral will be held at 05:00 pm on 23rd June in his hometown, Muslim Bagh.
Usman Lala’s loss is an irreparable loss for Pashtuns & all oppressed nations. https://t.co/UGoiyULtHl
— Senator Usman Kakar (@UsmankhanPKMAP) June 21, 2021
Kakar, 60, had received a head injury at his Quetta residence last week. According to his physician Dr Samad Penzai, he was shifted to a hospital where he was operated on and put on a ventilator.
He was later shifted to Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi on an air ambulance where he succumbed to the injury.
According to Penzai, Kakar was found by his family lying on a carpet in his drawing room with blood flowing from his head but it was not known what caused the injury.
Kakar was elected to Senate in March 2015 where he remained a vocal member until the completion of his tenure in March this year.
After the news of his death was reported, condolences started to pour in from leaders across the political spectrum.
Remembering the deceased, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri said Kakar was a patriotic political and social leader.
“Usman Kakar fought for the rights of the people of Balochistan and always voiced their concerns,” he said.
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar also expressed grief and said that his contribution towards the rights of the people of Balochistan will always be remembered.
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar also sent his commiserations to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul.
PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, and ANP Sindh chapter’s President Shahi Sayed also expressed sorrow.
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz praised him as a “a strong voice of democracy and a front line soldier of the struggle for civilian supremacy”. She added that she would always remember her conversations with him and the memory of his struggle would be kept alive.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz said he was “deeply saddened” by Kakar’s sudden demise. He said Kakar had been a “dear friend” whose services for democracy and politics will be remembered forever.
Several other political figures also expressed condolences on the death of Usman Kakar and hailed him as a dedicated democrat.
Meanwhile, members of the opposition in the Senate on Monday raised suspicion over the “sudden death” of the PkMAP leader and demanded a parliamentary probe to “dig out the truth”, Dawn reported.
Speaking on the floor of the house, Senator Muhammad Akram of the National Party claimed that Kakar would always say that he faced the biggest threat from certain security agencies.
The senator added that Kakar’s sudden death may have “some background to it”.
Senator Saleem Mandviwala of the PPP said that Kakar’s family believed his death was a “murder”. He said that doctors were also skeptical about how such profuse bleeding in the head could be caused by a mere fall. He demanded the Sindh and Balochistan governments to conduct a thorough investigation into his death.
PPP’s Shahadat Awan also said that doubts were being raised about certain security agencies after the death of Usman Kakar.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani informed the house that medical teams were conducting a post-mortem on Kakar on the family’s request.
Senator Kamran Murtaza, belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, said that Kakar’s family were demanding a probe into his death. His family have not, however, registered an FIR of the incident yet.
“He was alone at the time he fell in the house, and if somebody was there, he should not have been lying there for an hour or so,” said Murtaza.
The senator said that the nature of Kakar’s death had raised questions, adding “it is now responsibility of the House to order a probe into his ‘suspicious’ death.”
He demanded that a committee comprising members of the House be formed to investigate the matter.
Maulana Attaur Rehman of the JUI-P claimed that Kakar had received several threats in the past and now his death was shrouded in mystery. He said that it was “perceptible until the last time that he will be ‘taken out’ of the way.”
He said that if someone was involved in the death of Kakar, he should be brought to justice. He also demanded a parliamentary committee to probe the matter.
Senator Haji Hidayatullah also voiced his concern on the death of Kakar and sought an investigation into it.
Ali Muhammad Khan, state minister for parliamentary affairs, said that he was deeply grieved to discover about the passing of Kakar. “I had ideological differences with him, but he remained firm to his ideology. I still can’t believe he is no more.”
Later, a resolution was also passed by the house, expressing condolence on the former senator’s demise and hailing his services as a democrat.
The resolution, presented by leader of the opposition Yousuf Raza Gillani, appreciated Kakar for his services for the supremacy of democracy. “He joined the PkMAP in 1996 and being a senator, he delivered speeches on matters of national and international significance. He was a human rights activist and his services shall always be remembered,” reads the resolution.
Meanwhile, MNA Mohsin Dawar quoted observations from doctors and suggested that the injury to Kakar’s head “was too severe to result from a fall.” He extended support to the ex-senator’s family and demanded a “complete investigation”.
