Daily Times

Scores of people poured in Link School’s ground in Lalamusa area of Gujrat on Saturday to offer the funeral prayers of Usama Qamar–son of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira.

The funeral prayers were attended by former president Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Punjab Information Minister Syed Samsam Bukhari, PPP leader Khursheed Shah and other politicians. A large number of politicians, government officials and well-wishers from different walks of life were also in attendance.

The PPP had already announced the suspension of all its political activities planned for Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, the teenage son was killed in a traffic accident near Lalamusa’s local government academy along with his friend. The body of Usama Kaira would be buried at a local graveyard in Lalamusa. Osama Qamar Kaira, 20, a BS honours third-year student at the Government College University, Lahore, and his friend Hamza Butt were on their way home from Kharian. According to PPP spokesperson, Usama’s car crashed into a roadside tree when he lost control over the steering wheel. Both the friends died on the spot.

Soon afterwards, rescue 1122 teams and motorway police recovered the bodies of the deceased by cutting the front portion of the car. The bodies were shifted to a local trauma centre. Osama was the youngest son of the former information minister. The death of Kaira’s son was deeply regretted by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz as they offered their condolences to the family.

A statement was also issued by Chief Minister Usman Khan Buzdar to express his sadness over the tragic incident. He also offered his condolences to the bereaved. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan condoled with the bereaved family and said, “My heart weeps on the demise of young Osama, all of us share the sadness of his death.”