Kulsoom Sharif laid to rest as thousands attend funeral

Lahore, September 14 

Advertisement

Amid chants of “mother of democracy”, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was laid to rest on Friday as thousands of PML-N supporters and top politicians attended her funeral prayers.

Kulsoom, who died Tuesday in a London hospital after a year-long battle with throat cancer, was laid to rest at the Sharif family’s Jati Umra residence here next to the graves of her father-in-law Mian Sharif and brother-in-law Abbas Sharif.

Her funeral prayers, led by renowned cleric Tariq Jameel, were offered at a ground at Lahore’s Sharif Medical City, after which her body was transported to Jati Umra amid high security.

Nawaz Sharif and other Sharif family members excluding 68-year-old Kulsoom’s two sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz attended the prayers. Hassan and Hussain have been declared absconders by an accountability court in corruption cases linked to Panama Papers scandal.

A protective human chain was formed around Sharif so that the funeral prayers could be offered. A massive crowd of thousands of people, top politicians, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and workers attended the funeral prayers.   

The leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf including Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser attended the funeral prayers. 

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Khursheed Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira also attended the funeral parayers. The PMLN workers were chanting “mother of democracy” when her casket was brought for the funeral prayers. — PTI