Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi has died in Lahore at the age of 54, his political party confirmed on Thursday night.
The cause of his demise wasn’t immediately clear.
According to the party’s spokesperson, Hamza, the TLP chief had been experiencing difficulty in breathing and was running a fever since yesterday.
The spokesperson added that Rizvi was at his madressah on Multan Road when his condition deteriorated on Thursday evening. He was subsequently rushed to the Farooq Hospital in Iqbal Town, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Some time later, social media was abuzz with reports that Rizvi was still alive and had only been unconscious for a while.
When contacted to verify the reports, another TLP spokesperson, Ibn-e-Ismail, said that Rizvi had started breathing again and they had summoned an ambulance, but the paramedic staff pronounced him dead when they checked him.
A large number of TLP supporters started gathering at his residence in the Grand Battery Stop area on Multan Road.
Pir Aijaz Ashrafi, a senior leader of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA), in a statement said the timings of his funeral prayers will be announced later.
Rizvi is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.
The firebrand cleric made his last public appearance at a sit-in staged by thousands of TLP followers at Islamabad’s Faizabad interchange to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in France.
The group had decided to end the sit-in on Monday after successful negotiations with the government.
Prime Minister Imran Khan offered condolences on his demise.
On the passing of Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi my condolences go to his family. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2020
Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri also expressed grief and sorrow on the TLP chief’s death. He said “Pakistan has lost a respected religious scholar and true admirer of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)”, adding that Rizvi’s services for Islam will be remembered for long.
In a tweet, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq expressed shock and grief over Rizvi’s sudden demise, saying his party shared the sorrow of his family members and TLP workers.
Who was Khadim Hussain Rizvi?
Born in 1966 in the Pindi Gheb area of Attock district, Punjab, Rizvi was said to be an introvert who shied away from talking about his personal life even among his close circles, let alone with media personnel. A Hafiz-e-Quran and Sheikh-ul-Hadith, Rizvi used to deliver Friday sermons at Lahore’s Pir Makki Masjid, located near Daata Darbar, during his time in the Punjab Auqaf Department.
Rizvi had been confined to a wheelchair since 2006 ever since an accident near Gujranwala. Contrary to rumours, Rizvi was injured because the driver of his vehicle fell asleep while driving from Rawalpindi to Lahore.
Many mistook him as a Shia because of his last name, but in truth, he was a staunch follower of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, the 19th-century founder of the Barelvi sect.