Karachi, Jul 14: Former president of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain passed away here on Wednesday after a prolonged illness, according to his family and party leaders. He was 80.

Hussain, who was born in Agra in 1940 and migrated with his parents to Pakistan in 1947, served as the 12th President of Pakistan between September 2013 and September 2018.

The senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader was diagnosed with cancer in February last year and was under treatment at a private hospital here for some days where he breathed his last, Dawn newspaper quoted PML-N Sindh additional secretary general Chaudhry Tariq as saying.

President Alvi expressed sorrow over Hussain's demise, saying he shared the pain of his bereaved family.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif also shared sadness over Hussain's death. "Today, we have lost a valued person who loved Pakistan and had a good character," a tweet by the PML-N president's account quoted him as saying.

"He was Nawaz Sharif's trustworthy, loyal and ideological companion. He steadfastly stood by the party through all the highs and lows.

"His services for the country and the nation will be remembered for long," Shehbaz said.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted: "My deepest condolences on the passing of former President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain. May Allah grant his family the strength to bear this great loss."

A textile businessman from Karachi, Hussain was associated with the Muslim League through the 70s and 80s and remained an active member of the PML-N since its early days.

He was governor of Sindh from June to October 1999 when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government was overthrown by the then Pakistan Army chief, Gen Pervez Musharraf.

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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.