Funeral prayers for former Punjab governor and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Mian Muhammad Azhar were offered outside Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

Mian Azhar who passed away late Tuesday night after a prolonged illness was laid to rest following the funeral.

His son, former federal minister Hammad Azhar, along with other family members, received condolences from fellow politicians and well-wishers.

The body of the late MNA was brought from the Nishtar Sports Complex to the venue, where funeral arrangements had been made amid tight security.

Former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Punjab Sports Minister Faisal Khokhar, PTI leaders Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Shaukat Basra, Abuzar Salman Niazi, Mehr Wajid, and Jamshed Iqbal Cheema attended the funeral.

Among the attendees were several members of the national and provincial assemblies including MPA Hafiz Farhat Abbas, MPA Ghulam Sarwar, Brigadier (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed, Sajjad Warraich, Sheikh Imtiaz, and Farrukh Javed Moon.

PTI workers and supporters also participated in large numbers, paying tribute to the senior politician.

Several political leaders paid rich tributes to Mian Azhar’s long public career and his contributions to Punjab’s political development. Leaders attending the funeral prayers remarked that his political services and dignified leadership could never be forgotten.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif also expressed deep grief over the passing of Mian Azhar. In their condolence messages, they offered prayers for the departed soul and conveyed heartfelt sympathy to the Azhar family. “We pray for Allah’s mercy on Mian Azhar and for strength and patience for the family,” read a joint message from the two leaders.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed her condolences, acknowledging Mian Azhar’s lifelong political contributions. She noted that his role in national politics would always be remembered with respect.

Mian Azhar had recently returned to active politics and successfully contested the NA-129 (Lahore) seat in the 2024 general elections as a PTI-backed independent candidate.

He secured 103,718 votes, defeating PML-N’s Hafiz Nauman, who received 71,540. The seat had previously been won by his son, Hammad Azhar, in 2018 with 105,734 votes.

His political career spanned several decades, during which he served as the governor of Punjab and held the federal commerce portfolio. He was also among the founding members of the Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid (PML-Q) after the 1999 military coup.