Senator Irfan Siddiqui Passes Away After Brief Illness – Nation Mourns the Loss of a Scholar, Thinker, and Statesman

Independent Report
Islamabad, November 11, 2025

Islamabad: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and parliamentarian, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, passed away on Monday in Islamabad after a brief illness. The heartbreaking news was first confirmed by his son.

According to family sources, Senator Siddiqui had been receiving treatment at a local hospital in Islamabad for several days due to respiratory complications. He was not placed on a ventilator but was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to severe difficulty in breathing.

Initial reports about his condition had caused confusion when Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, announced that the senior PML-N leader had been placed on a ventilator due to sudden health deterioration. However, Siddiqui’s family later clarified that he was conscious and receiving critical care.

A veteran journalist, educationist, and thinker, Irfan Siddiqui served as Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Leader of PML-N in the Senate. His multifaceted career spanned decades in journalism, politics, and academia.

Following the sad news, the nation’s leadership expressed deep grief over his life and legacy.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, stating that Senator Siddiqui had rendered “immense services for democracy in Pakistan.”

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif described his passing as a major personal and national loss, remembering him as a thinker, educator, and principled intellectual whose contributions to the party and the nation will always be cherished. The Prime Minister added, “His death is a huge loss to me, to the academic world, and to society.”

Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi also paid tribute, calling Siddiqui a “champion of the highest traditions in both journalism and politics.”

Senator Irfan Siddiqui’s death marks the end of an era in Pakistan’s intellectual and political landscape — a man remembered for his lifelong dedication, integrity, eloquence, and steadfast commitment to democracy, education, and truth.