Daily Times

KARACHI: Deceased Sindh governor Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqui was laid to rest at Gizri graveyard here on Friday. His funeral prayers, led by Mufti Taqi Usmani, were offered at Governor House. Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and former CM, Qaim Ali Shah, Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar, Federal Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch, MQM leader Farooq Sattar, Senator Nihal Hashmi, Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Karachi Naim-ur-Rehman, military officials and other dignitaries were among the participants.

Siddiqui died on Wednesday at the age of 79 at a local hospital. He had been hospitalised soon after his appointment due to a chest infection and breathing problems. He was discharged from the hospital about a month later after an improvement in his condition. Siddiqui was sworn in as governor on November 11 after the departure of Dr Ishtrat ul Ebad Khan, the longest-serving governor of Sindh. Siddiqui held the post for two months, becoming the province’s shortest-serving governor. Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani has taken over the affairs as acting governor of Sindh until the appointment of the new governor.

Born in Lucknow on December 01, 1938, Siddiqui’s family migrated to the then East Pakistan. He acquired his early education from Dhaka and then moved to Karachi. He received admission at Karachi University from where he graduated and then studied law. He was enrolled as an advocate of the high court and then the apex court in 1963 and 1968, respectively.

Siddiqui had also contested bar elections and held various positions until he was appointed a judge of the Sindh High Court in May 1980. He was appointed as the chief justice of the Sindh High Court after 10 years and in May 1992 was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court. His tenure as the 15th chief justice of Pakistan began on July 1, 1999, and ended on Jan 26, 2000.

Siddiqui was the chief justice of Pakistan during the 1999 military coup by General Pervez Musharraf and refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). Siddiqui was also among the aspiring candidates for the post of president in 2003 and 2008.