LAHORE, NOV 14, (DNA):  Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former secretary general of the party,

Jahangir Badar passed away late Sunday night, family sources confirmed to media.

Badar was taken to a private hospital after his condition got unstable. The senior leader was suffering from kidney

and cardiac problems.

Badar was considered one of the closest aides of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He became involved in

politics as a student leader during his university days in Lahore.

As a young man, he also met PPP’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and was among the first group of students to join and support

the PPP leader.

He was arrested during the governments of Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and was detained a number of times by the Zia-

ul-Haq and Musharraf regimes.Badar was 72. He has left behind a wife, two sons and a daughter.

His funeral prayers will be offered at 4 pm on Monday at Lahore’s University Ground. PPP has announced three days

of mourning and postponed its scheduled meeting in Dubai.

He had reduced his political activities because of his deteriorating health.

Born in 1944 in Lahore, Mr Badr started his political career as a student leader from the Punjab University. He was

imprisoned during Gen Zia’s dictatorial regime. He served as a federal minister and a senator and also assumed

various party offices.

A close aide to the late Benazir Bhutto and a die-hard PPP worker, Mr Badr was admitted to a private hospital in

Defence after he suffered a heart attack in the evening.

According to a PPP leader, doctors tried their best but couldn’t save his life. Mr Badr had been ill for quite some time

as he was suffering from kidney complications.

Condolences 

Condolences poured in from all quarters of the political landscape following news of Badar’s death.=DNA

=============