PML-N leader and former state minister Rana Afzal Khan dies at 70 – Pakistan

PML-N leader and former state finance minister, Rana Afzal Khan, died Friday after suffering from heart disease. I was 70 years old.

Khan was under treatment at the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, where he was admitted after he complained of chest pains a few days ago.

The president of PML-N and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, expressed his regret for the disappearance of the politician.

He was quoted as saying that Khan was a "valuable asset" of the party and a close partner of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"He spent his life fighting for the cause of democracy, the Constitution, human rights and public service," Shahbaz said.

Born in Faisalabad, Khan was elected to the National Assembly by the NA-82 constituency in the 2013 general elections. He received his early education in Dhaka and earned an engineering degree from the NED University of Karachi, and a master's degree in Political Science. from the University of Baluchistan, Quetta.

He was also commissioned in the Pakistan army and served as captain from 1971 to 1976.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Khan held various positions, including as a member of the executive committee of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice president of the Water and Sanitation Agency.

He also served as MPA in the Punjab Assembly from 1997 to 1999 and returned for a second term during the 2008 general elections.

Khan served as parliamentary secretary of finance when former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi approved his appointment as state finance minister in December 2017.