Imran devastated over death of Naeemul Haque
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Naeem ul Haque, passed away in Karachi on Saturday, losing his long battle with cancer at the age of 70.
The senior PTI leader was admitted at a private hospital in the city where he breathed his last. Haque had been battling cancer for the last two years.
Naeemul Haque was pronounced dead on the evening of Saturday after a long-standing fight with cancer at a private hospital in the metropolis.
Naeem-ul-Haq was suffering from cancer for years and had been hospitalized in the past. He was regularly getting treatment for it. The PTI leader was shifted to Agha Khan Hospital after his health had worsened.
His Namaz-e-Janaza will be offered after Asr prayer on Sunday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condoled the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Naeemul Haque who passed away today after fighting a long battle with cancer, and termed his demise as “irreplaceable void”.
PM Imran expressed that he is devastated by one of his oldest friends Naeem’s demise. “He was one of the 10 founding members of PTI and by far the most loyal”, he added.
“Am devastated by one of my oldest friend Naeem's passing. He was one of the 10 founding mbrs of PTI & by far the most loyal. In 23 yrs of PTI's trials & tribulations, he stood by me. He was always there for support whenever we were at our lowest ebb," the premier tweeted.
He went on to say that throughout the 23 years of PTI’s trials and tribulations, Naeemul Haque always stood by him. “He was always there for support whenever we were at our lowest ebb”, he expressed.
PM Imran praised the PTI stalwart for his courage and optimism and said: “In the last two years I saw him battle cancer with courage and optimism,” he said, adding that till the end Naeemul Haque was involved in party’s affairs and attended cabinet meetings as long as he was able. “His passing has left an irreplaceable void”, he said.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also expressed grievance and said Naeemul Haque “fought like a lion” against cancer, calling the deceased polition “a friend, elder and a colleague". He prayed for the deceased soul.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and Governor Sindh Imran Ismail paid tribute to Naeem-ul-Haque. In a tweet today, Fawad Chaudhry said Naeem Ul Haque fought like a lion against cancer.
"Naeem Ul Haq fought like a lion against cancer, a friend, elder and a colleague .... will always be missed... may Allah Rest his soul in peace," tweeted Chaudhry.
Governor Sindh Imran Ismail expressed grief over Haque's demise, saying that he had fought against cancer bravely. "Naeem ul Haque was a close friend of the prime minister and an asset of the party," he said.
Expressing grief over Naeemul Haque’s death, Special Advisor to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said the deceased was an asset of the party. "The vaccum created after his death will not be easy to fill", she added.
Federal Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed also sent out his condolences and prayed for strength and perseverance for his family and loved ones.
The PTI paid tribute to the deceased as well, praising Haque as "a dedicated Pakistani, a loyal friend and a kind human being".
A banker and businessman by trade and one of the co-founders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Naeem was instrumental in promoting positive change in Pakistan as part of the party’s ideology.
Naeem ul Haque, one of the senior most members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), has passed away at the age of 70 in Karachi. He had been battling blood cancer for the last two years.
Born on July 11, 1949 in Karachi, Naeem completed his M.A. in English Literature from University of Karachi (1970) and then pursued LLB from Sindh Muslim Law College Karachi (1971). He practiced law with Khalid Ishaq before joining Jamil Nishtar’s team at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). As a young banker, he was part of the team that established the NBP branch at UN Plaza in New York City, after which he moved to London in 1980 as a merchant banker for Oriental Credit Limited.
Naeem had thirty-five years’ of cumulative experience in banking, finance, corporate sector and law in Pakistan, London and New York. During his career, he also served as an Advisor/Managing Director of Aero Asia Airlines, Chairman & CEO Metropolitan Steel Corpand Managing Director, Credit & Leasing Corporation.
During his professional stint in London in early 1980s, he became close friends with Imran Khan, who used to play county cricket at that time. Imran would frequently visit Naeem and his wife, Nazli Jamil (“Nazo”). Naeem and Imran Khan became especially close friends when the latter developed a debilitating stress fracture in 1983, and Naeem famously gave his exercise bike for Imran’s recuperation.
Naeem was driven by the purpose to serve Pakistan and believed that positive change could only be brought about in the country through a democratic, political system. In 1984, he joined Air Marshal Asghar Khan’s Tehreek Istiqlal party in London and moved back to Karachi a couple of years later to setup his leasing company business and pursue political aspirations. In the post-Zia ul Haq era, he contested the 1988 elections from Tehreek Istiqlal ticket in Orangi. Even though he lost the election, he continued his interest in politics and kept a breast of economic related matters.
In 1996, he became one of the five founding members of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) along with his close friend Imran Khan. As a trusted aide, he helped Imran Khan manage the party affairs and overcome the election setbacks of 1997 and 2001. After the death of his wife in 2008 from a bout of cancer, Naeem fully devoted his life to PTI, where he become the Central Information Secretary and President of Sindh. He is credited with organizing the huge December 25, 2011 jalsa in Karachi that helped establish PTI’s popularity as a national party.
In 2012, Naeem moved to Islamabad as Chief of Staff to the PTI Chairman and an integral part of the PTI Core Committee leading into the elections of both 2013 and 2018. He worked extremely hard and directly with Imran Khan in organizing the party at the grass roots working across the board with workers and part office bearers. He also intermittently served as the Information secretary of the party during this period playing an important part on the party’s communication strategy.
In January 2018 eight months before the general elections, Naeem was diagnosed with blood cancer. Like a true party loyalist, he soldiered on, working long hours prior to the elections while undergoing treatment. Never one to shirk from important causes and managing people and operations, he remained at the forefront. As member of the PTI core committee he was an accessible, approachable and was popular among the workers. When the 2018 victory finally came to PTI, he was appointed a Special Assistant on Political Affairs to the PM and was involved in a number of initiatives ranging from housing scheme, party operations, SDGs and appointments to name a few. An honest man, he cared for ordinary people, the future of PTI and a progressive Pakistan, where the underprivileged have an equal chance to prosper. NNI
