Former Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) president Raja Mohammad Zulqarnain Khan died at the age of 93 after a brief illness, according to media reports. He breathed his last at a hospital in Islamabad on Saturday, Dawn reported.
PoK authorities announced a day of official mourning on Sunday and directed that he be laid to rest with full state honours in his native town of Kasguma in Bhimber district. His funeral prayers were scheduled for 11 am on Sunday.
Who Was Raja Mohammad Zulqarnain Khan?
Born on March 15, 1933, Raja Zulqarnain received his early education in Srinagar and Delhi. He later joined Lawrence College in Ghora Gali, Murree, at the age of 13.
His contemporaries at the institution included former Pakistan prime minister Zafarullah Jamali and former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akbar Bugti.
He entered politics in 1960-61 as an associate of KH Khurshid, who had served as PoK president and was also the private secretary to Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Leaders Express Condolences
Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, speaker of PoK’s legislative assembly, described Zulqarnain’s death as a major loss to the region’s political, parliamentary and social circles in his condolence message.
Former PoK prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas also expressed deep sorrow over his death, Dawn reported.
