RAWALPINDI: Former Pakistan People`s Party (PPP) member and ex-MPA Agha Riazul Islam passed away on Monday night with his funeral prayers held at Liaquat Road, outside his office in Rabia Manzil on Tuesday.Agha Riazul Islam was elected Rawalpindi`s mayor in 1979 local bodies polls but resigned from office in protest, soon after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by General Ziaul Haq.

He was elected MPA from Rawalpindi in the 1989 general elections and joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) in 1996 but left the party after a year.

He played a major role in 2001 local government elections and became the PPP local chapter in charge as well as formed Awam Dost Group of PPP for non-party based elections. He contested election for tehsil nazim against Raja Hamid Nawaz who won the seat.

In 2002 elections, he contested for the National Assembly seat on a PPP ticket but lost to Sheikh Rashid. However, in later years, he developed differences with his parent political party and during the last general elections, he joined Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) but the local leaders of the ruling party did not accept him and Mr Islam remained sidelined.

In his last days, Agha Riazul Islam started organising the Mehfil-e-Darood Sharif in his political office at Liaquat Bagh.

A number of political personalities attended his funeral including MNA Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Senator Chaudhry Tanveer, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Shehryar Riaz, PTI`s ljaz Khan Jazi, PML-N`s Malik Shakil Awan, PPP local leaders Sardar Saleem and Rashid Mir.

Mr Islam was laid to rest in the cemetery in Dhoke llahi Bux.