A founding member of Pakistan’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Sunday passed away in London after a prolonged battle with lung cancer.
Saleem Shahzad breathed his last at 0900 AM IST at the hospital where he was admitted after his condition deteriorated two days ago, family sources said.
Shahzad is survived by his wife and five daughters.
He was a close confidante of MQM founder Altaf Hussain but joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan earlier this year after the MQM ran into trouble with authorities.
Shahzad was vice chairman when MQM was founded in 1983. He twice served as a Member of the National Assembly.
Like many other MQM leaders, he left the country when an operation against the political party was launched in 1992 and parted ways in 2010 after developing differences with Hussain who is still exiled in London.
Shahzad was facing multiple cases in Pakistan and was arrested on his return to Karachi last year. He was allowed to go abroad for medical treatment in June after being released from jail.
