PESHAWAR -  Former senator and Awami National Party Senior Vice-President Haji Mohammad Adeel passed away on Friday due to his kidney failure. He was 72.

The late Adeel was suffering from kidney disease and he died at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar at 3:00am Friday morning.  He leaves a widow and a son. The late was serving as senior vice president of the party. He also served as the party’s central president for one-and-a-half-year. He also remained a senator from 2009 to 15.

The late politician was born in 1944 in a family of anti-imperialists leader Hakeem Abdul Jalil alias Hakeem Sahib, who was actively involved in the non-violence movement, Khudai Khidmatgar against the British Empire in the subcontinent and was the president of All India National Congress Committee Peshawar chapter and a close colleague of Bacha Khan and Mahatma Gandhi and a member of the Central Working Committee of Congress.

He graduated from Edward College Peshawar and later got admission to fine arts department at the University of Peshawar. During his political career, Haji Adeel served as finance minister and deputy speaker in the provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (then NWFP). He was a senator when he represented Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the National Finance Commission Award.

The late politician was elected thrice as a member of the provincial assembly in 1990, 1993 and 1997, and reserved as finance minister in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in 1993. He also served as deputy speaker KP Assembly from 1997 to 1999, and senator from 2009 to 2015.

In his senate tenure, Haji Adeel remained a member of the Standing Committee on Interior, Standing Committee on Defence and Defence Production, Standing Committee on Textile Industry, Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas.

He was ANP Parliamentary leader in Senate. He also remained Chairman Election Commission of ANP and coordinator for ANP lawyers. He was also member the Central & Provincial Executive Committees of the party. The late politician also remained member national executive committee of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy.

He was known for raising voice against corruption and always made efforts to remain connected to a common man to resolve problems of his area. For him, prevalence of peace was the most important issue for the prosperity of the country. He always fought to strengthen democracy and never indulged himself in corrupt practices.

His Namaz-e-Janaza was offered at 4:00 pm at Jinnah Park in Peshawar. His funeral prayer was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, ANP Central leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, former CM Haider Khan Hoti, lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and National Assembly. 

Tight security arrangement had been made during his funeral prayer. A heavy contingent of police had guarded the city around Jinnah Park.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his heartfelt condolences over the death of Haji Adeel and termed it a national loss. Expressing sympathies with the family, he said that may Allah rest the departed soul in eternal peace and give strength to the family to bear the irreparable loss. He added that Haji Adeel’s efforts to strengthen democracy in Pakistan were praise-worthy.

Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Opposition Leader in National Assembly Khursheed Shah, Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, ANP leader Asfandyiar Wali and others also expressed great sorrow over the death of Haji Adeel.