Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui passed away in Islamabad after a brief illness, as reported by national media on Tuesday.
According to a report, in July 2019, Senator Irfan Siddiqui was presented before the court in handcuffs. Holding a pen in his handcuffed hands and waving it, he said, “This is my real crime.”
The case was that he was accused of not informing the police before renting out a portion of his house. Later, he was acquitted from the case. Irfan Siddiqui’s lawyer stated that the house in question did not belong to Irfan Siddiqui but to his son. However, Assistant Commissioner Mehreen Baloch deemed the clarification insufficient and sent him to Adiala Jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
Irfan Siddiqui was a columnist, political analyst, poet, and author of several books.
Producing people in court in handcuffs is common in Pakistan, but Irfan Siddiqui, at the age of 70, was brought to court in handcuffs over an accusation.
Irfan Siddiqui’s real name was Irfan-ul-Haq Siddiqui, but he was known by his pen name Irfan Siddiqui. He was a member of the Senate of Pakistan on behalf of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.
He was born on December 25, 1949, in Dhoke Bedhal village on Chak Beli Khan Road in the suburbs of Rawalpindi. He received his early education from the village school and later pursued higher education in Urdu from the University of the Punjab.
Irfan Siddiqui began his professional career as a primary school teacher, later promoted to high school, and eventually appointed as a lecturer in Urdu at Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi.
After spending a long time as a teacher, he stepped into journalism and began writing columns in various newspapers. In 1997, when Pakistan Muslim League-N came to power, Irfan Siddiqui was appointed as Press Secretary and speechwriter to President Rafiq Tarar. That is where his association with the Pakistan Muslim League-N began.
He belonged to a middle-class family. Former judge of the Islamabad High Court Justice (Retd.) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui was his cousin, and former Jamaat-e-Islami leader Naeem Siddiqui was also his cousin. Irfan Siddiqui’s father was also a scholarly figure.
From 2011 onward, with the entry of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf into Pakistani politics, a culture of slander and abuse took root.
In 2018, when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was formed, he was arrested and handcuffed in a case.
In May 2024, Senator Irfan Siddiqui published his collection of Urdu columns titled PTI and Pakistan: From Cipher to Final Call. He formed the National Curriculum Committee, worked on educational reforms, and strengthened the government’s links with intellectual and academic circles.
Later, he was elected as a member of the Senate of Pakistan from the Pakistan Muslim League-N. As a senator, he remained active in matters of national legislation, curriculum development, and social policy. He was awarded Pakistan’s high civil award, Hilal-e-Imtiaz.
