Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader and former senator Usman Kakar passed away in Karachi’s Aga Khan Hospital on Monday at the age of 60. His physician, Dr. Samad Panezai, told media that Khan had received a serious head injury at his residence in Quetta. He was immediately shifted to the hospital and put on a ventilator.
When his condition did not improve, and he was shifted to Karachi’s reputed Aga Khan Hospital, where he passed away on Monday. Panezai said that the cause of the death was the accumulation of blood in his brain due to the injury. The Dr. said that it is not known what caused the deadly brain injury in the first place – his family members had found him lying unconscious on the carpet with blood flowing from his head.
Panezai said that Kakar’s body was being shifted to Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center for legal formalities. His funeral would be held in Karachi after which he will be laid to rest in his hometown Quetta.
Soon after his death, tributes and condolences poured in for Usman Kakar from prominent politicians, activists, journalists and thousands of admirers. He was elected to Pakistan’s Senate in 2015 and remained a vocal, critical senator until the end of his tenure in March 2021. Kakar used his platform and influence to advocate for the rights of Pashtuns and didn’t mince his words when it came to Pakistan’s controversial military and intelligence agencies. He used to say that I don’t fear for my life or the safety of my family – two intelligence agencies, the MI and the ISI, will be responsible for my death.
PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz paid her condolences to Kakar’s death, calling him “a strong voice of democracy and a front line soldier of the struggle for civilian supremacy”. She added she would always remember her conversations with him and the memory of his struggle would be kept alive.
PTM leader and Member of National Assembly Mohsin Dawar said: “It is a devastating realization that our beloved Usman Kakar is no more. In his death, He has left a vacuum that will be very difficult to fill. This is a huge loss for lar aw bar Afghans. May Pashtun watan find that peace that Usman Lala spent his life striving for.”
The National Party also paid its tributes to Usman Kakar, saying that his departure has deprived Balochistan of a forceful voice. NP said that Kakar has left behind a vacuum that will never be filled. The party directed its members and workers to pay their tributes to the dead body of Usman Kakar by showering his convoy with flowers. Kakar’s body will be transported to Quetta on Tuesday morning.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai prayed for Kakar’s recovery when he was newly shifted to hospital, saying that he is a serious politician, a nationalist and a person who loved to serve his people.
BNP-Leader Sanaullah Baloch, who is also a member of Balochistan’s assembly, said that only a handful of honest politicians are left in Balochistan, and Usman Kakar was one of them.
Jamaat Islami Chief Siraj Ul Haq also prayed for the ailing Kakar, saying that I have seen him presenting his stance on the Senate floor with honesty, truthfulness and bravery.
JUI-Chief Molana Fazal Ur Rehman also prayed for the recovery of Senator Kakar before his death.