Nawaz Sharif's wife Kulsoom laid to rest
Lahore, Sep 14 : Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz was laid to rest here on Friday in the presence of thousands of PML-N supporters, senior political figures and family members.
The funeral prayers, led by Maulana Tariq Jameel, were offered at Sharif Medical City in Raiwind. Begum Kulsoom was laid to rest in Jati Umra next to the resting place of her father-in-law Mian Sharif and brother-in-law Abbas Sharif, Dawn newspaper reported.
Her sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, currently in London, were unable to attend the ceremony in Pakistan after being declared absconders in the accountability trial following the Panamagate verdict.
Kulsoom Nawaz passed away on Tuesday after an over-a-year-long battle with throat cancer.
Security at the ground was high and barbed wire was used to separate the high-profile attendees from ordinary citizens at the funeral ceremony. Despite the measures, television footage showed politicians being jostled by the crowd as they were led to their places, Geo News reported.
A protective human chain was formed around Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Tariq Jameel.
Former President Mamnoon Hussain, former Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Javed Hashmi, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Farooq Sattar, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Saudi officials were among the attendees.
On the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar attended the funeral prayers representing the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
Congregational prayers for Begum Kulsoom will be offered on Sunday, said a Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) spokesperson.
Funeral prayers had previously been offered for Begum Kulsoom at London's Regent Park mosque on Thursday, where hundreds of people had shown up to pay their respects. It had been arranged since Kulsoom's sons decided against travelling to Pakistan.
Other members of the Sharif family, including daughter Asma, Shehbaz Sharif were in attendance at the funeral in London, alongside former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar.
A flight carrying Kulsoom Nawaz's casket landed in Lahore from London on Friday morning.
The three-time Premier, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, currently serving prison terms on corruption charges, were granted parole by the Punjab government to attend Begum Kulsoom's funeral.
The government on Thursday night extended their parole till September 17.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
