Pakistani cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi dies at 54

Days after signing an agreement with the Pakistan government and calling off a sit-in of his party supporters that had blocked an important junction between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the chief of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party died in Lahore

Days after signing an agreement with the Pakistan government and calling off a sit-in of his party supporters that had blocked an important junction between Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the chief of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, died in Lahore. He was 54.

In this November 26, 2017 file photo, Khadim Hussain Rizvi speaks during a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP/ FILE)

The cause of the Pakistani cleric’s death was not known. Some media reports hinted that he had symptoms similar to that of Covid-19, although that couldn’t be verified.

TLP supporters had crippled parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi last week when they held a sit-in to demand the expulsion of the French ambassador to Pakistan and the recall of his Pakistani counterpart in Paris.

The sit-in was called off after Rizvi and ministers from the Imran Khan administration signed an understanding that took note of their demands.

However on Thursday, Rizvi was taken ill and died soon after. According to the party’s spokesperson Muhammad Hamza, the TLP chief had been experiencing difficulty in breathing and was running a fever since Wednesday.

There was some confusion over his death after some reports on social media suggested that Rizvi had resumed breathing and had only been unconscious for a while.

A party spokesman confirmed this, but added that soon after, the TLP leader had stopped breathing and was declared dead.