Veteran politician Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa passes away at 90

Khosa was a respected political figure from Dera Ghazi Khan and remained active in national politics for several decades. He was widely known

LAHORE: Former Punjab governor and senior politician Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa passed away in Lahore at the age of 90, his family confirmed on Thursday.

According to family sources, he had been receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Lahore for some time before his death.

Khosa was a respected political figure from Dera Ghazi Khan and remained active in national politics for several decades. He was widely known for his long association with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), where he played an important role in party affairs and provincial governance.

Born on October 20, 1935, he received his early education at Queen Mary’s College and later studied at Aitchison College in Lahore. He was also the 21st recognized chief of the Khosa tribe, a Baloch tribe with members living in Punjab, Balochistan, and Sindh.

Khosa began his political journey in 1962 when he was elected as a member of the West Pakistan Assembly at the age of 26, becoming the youngest member of the house at that time. Over the years, he was elected to the Punjab Assembly for nine consecutive terms without facing defeat, setting a rare political record.

During his career, he held several key ministerial positions, including education, irrigation, power, finance, planning and development, and local government. He also served as senior minister and senior advisor in the provincial government.

Before the 2018 general elections, Khosa parted ways with the PML-N due to internal differences and later joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

His death marks the end of a long and influential political career spanning more than five decades.