Daily Times

The mother of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif was laid to rest on Saturday in Jati Umra in Lahore.

Funeral prayers for Begum Shamim Akhtar were offered after Zuhr at the Sharif Medical City in Raiwind. PML-N leaders Raja Farooq Haider, Rana Sanaullah, Khwaja Imran Nazir, Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Asif, Hanif Abbas besides hundreds of family members, relatives and party leaders attended the prayers. Also in attendance were Shehbaz and his son Hamza Shehbaz, both of whom were released on a five-day parole on Friday to attend the final rites of Begum Shamim Akhtar.

Strict security arrangements were made for the funeral and the main road leading to Jati Umra was cordoned off. After the prayers, Begum Akhtar’s body was taken to Jati Umra, where she was laid to rest next to the grave of her husband, Mian Sharif.

Begum Shamim had passed away last week in London. She was in her 90s and had been unwell for a month or so, sources in the party had said. On Friday, Nawaz and other family members had attended her funeral prayers in London before her body was flown to Pakistan.

The body of late Begum Shamim Akhtar had arrived at Lahore Airport here on Saturday morning via British Airways flight. President Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif received the body of his mother. The airport authorities handed over the body to Shehbaz Sharif after completing legal formalities.

Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar and others were present at the airport. The body of the late Begum Shamim was then taken to Jaati Umra, Raiwind residence from Hajj terminal of the airport. The funeral prayer were held at Sharif Medical City in the afternoon.