Veteran politician Hasil Bizenjo dies at 62

KARACHI: Veteran Baloch politician and National Party president Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo passed away on Thursday in Karachi, Geo News reported. He was 62.

The senator had been battling lung cancer for the past few months and was admitted to a private hospital in critical condition, where he died.

According to the Press Information Department, Bizenjo was born into a family that played a significant role in Balochistan’s politics. His father, Mir Ghous Baksh Bizenjo, who had been the governor of Balochistan, was a nationalist leader known for his peaceful struggle to attain Baloch people’s rights within the framework of Pakistan.

Hailing from the Nal Valley of Khuzdar, Bizenjo began his political career from Pakistan National Party (PNP) and was elected as a member of National Assembly in the general elections of 1990 and 1997.

He was the founder of middle-class led Balochistan National Democratic Party (BNDP) which, in 2003, merged with the non-tribal middle-class nationalist party Balochistan National Movement (BNM) and as the result of this merger National Party (NP) – a social democratic centre-left political party was established. He was the president of the National Party until his death. In March 2015 Senate’s elections, Bizenjo was elected as senator. He also served as the Minister for Maritime Affairs in Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s cabinet from 2017 to 2018.

His death triggered an outpouring of grief from across the political divide. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government spokesman Shibli Faraz said: “His services to the Constitution, Parliament and democracy are unforgettable.”

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif said he was “shocked and saddened” by Bizenjo’s death. “He represented the voice of the people of his province and stood for progressive and rule-based politics,” he added.

Fellow senator and Pakistan Peoples Party member Sherry Rehman said she was “shocked, saddened and bereaved to hear of friend Senator Hasil Bizenjo’s passing”. She added that his public life was marked by “progressive, principled politics as an advocate for the vulnerable. End of an era”.

PML-N’s Senator Pervaiz Rashid told Geo News that the veteran politician would always be remembered for his services in strengthening the country’s democracy. “Whenever we spoke of democracy in the country, he was a guiding light. His passing away is not the extinguishing of a flame, because he has lit a thousand more lamps which will continue to burn.”

PTI defence minister Pervez Khattak said Bizenjo’s death was “a loss for Pakistani politics”, while Baloch politician and BNP president Akhtar Mengal said he was “extremely saddened”.

PTI’s Jahangir Tareen offered his condolences as well. “My heartfelt condolences to the family of Senator Hasil Bizenjo. May Allah have mercy on the departed soul,” he tweeted.