Former leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Saleem Shehzad passed away after protracted illness, here on Sunday. Suffering from liver and kidney cancer since 2015, he was admitted to a hospital in West London after his condition deteriorated a couple of days earlier. During treatment, he breathed his last at 3:30am GMT. He will be buried in London.
Saleem Shehzad, who has remained a member of the National Assembly, had been living in London since 1992 - when an operation was launched against the party. He was wanted by Karachi police in various cases, including the terrorists' facilitation case against Dr Asim Hussain. The former MQM leader returned to the country on February 06, 2017 and was arrested upon his arrival at the Karachi Airport from Dubai. He was later released from prison on June 02.
Last year, Saleem Shahzad - formerly a close aide of the party's founder - announced he was forming his own political party. He said he would contest the general elections from Karachi's Orangi Town under the banner of his new political party, and that he would field candidates in different constituencies of the city. In January 2018, he called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan whose party 'welcomed' him to its fold.