Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party founding member and a veteran politician Dr Mubashir Hasan passed away on Saturday morning in Lahore. He was 98.

Dr Hasan had been unwell and under treatment for the past three days. He is survived by his wife, Dr Zeenat Hussain.

“My uncle Dr Mubashir Hasan passed away today [Saturday]. His funeral at 530. Bagh e rehmat bhatta chowk. Given the corona virus there may not be a formal qul. But will hold a memorial later. A selfless upright man. Rip chacha,” Abbas, a nephew of Hasan, wrote on Twitter.

Former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had founded the PPP at the house of Mubashir Hasan back in 1967. A close aide of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he was also one of the contributors to PPP’s first ever manifesto. Along with JA Rahim and S Mohammad Rashid, Hasan was one of the main architects behind organising the PPP across cities, towns and villages of (then) West Pakistan.

He was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1970 and served as finance minister in Bhutto’s cabinet from 1971-74. He helped Bhutto in establishing the Ministry of Science in 1972 and was assigned the responsibility to arrange funding for Pakistan’s nuclear project. He also helped establish the Kahuta Research Laboratories.

Later, Dr Hasan developed differences with the PPP and left to join Ghinwa Bhutto’s PPP-Shaheed Bhutto. Three years ago, he also resigned from the Punjab presidency of Ghinwa’s party.

Dr Hasan was also one of the founding members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy.

Besides being a seasoned politician, he was a civil engineer, scientist, journalist and analyst and author of over 10 books.