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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SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
