Former Sindh chief minister Aftab Shaban Mirani passes away

• President Zardari expresses deep grief, calls Mirani PPP stalwart.
• CM Murad Ali Shah describes late Mirani as a man of integrity.
• SA Speaker Awais Qadir Shah, others pray for departed soul.

KARACHI: Former Sindh chief minister Aftab Shaban Mirani passed away on Saturday after a prolonged illness, his family confirmed.

According to his family, Mirani's funeral prayers will be offered tonight (Satuday) at 10pm at Masjid Bait-ul-Islam in Defence Phase-IV, Karachi.

He will be laid to rest at the Gizri Graveyard, his family added.

Mirani was a senior political figure and had served as the Sindh chief minister in 1990. He had also served as a defence minister during then-premier Benazir Bhutto’s tenure from 1993 to 1996.

Mirani was elected as a member of the National Assembly several times on the ticket of the Pakistan People's Party.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed deep grief over the passing of  Mirani, describing him as a close associate of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and a devoted PPP stalwart.

Separately, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of Mirani.

In his condolence message, CM Murad said that Mirani was a close associate of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, and remained an invaluable asset of the party.

Murad described late Mirani as a man of integrity, humility, and dignity.

The chief minister extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, the PPP leadership, and party workers, sharing in their grief and loss.

Speaker Sindh Assembly Syed Awais Qadir Shah, PPP MNAs Shazia Marri, Sehar Kamran, and others also expressed grief and prayed for the departed soul.