KARACHI, 14 February 2004 — Federal Minister for Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Abdul Sattar Lalika died in Lahore yesterday after a heart attack. He was 53.
Lalika was elected to Parliament from Bhawalnagar in 1985. He was re-elected as a member of National Assembly in 1988. He was a minister in the Nawaz Sharif Cabinet after the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto’s government in 1991.
Lalika was appointed federal minister for food and agriculture in 1997. He joined PML(Q) in 1999.
His funeral will be held in his ancestral town Bhawalnagar. Lalika is survived by a son, two daughters and wife.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali expressed their deep shock and grief over the Lalika’s death.
Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia were shocked. Many contacted the embassy and consulate general and expressed their condolences. Various Pakistani organizations in Riyadh, Jeddah, Tabuk, Taif, Makkah and Madinah held condolence meetings and expressed profound sorrow and grief over Lalika’s death.
Lalika recently visited the Kingdom and held meetings with Pakistani community leaders in Riyadh and Jeddah.
He also held wide-ranging talks with Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, Interior Minister Prince Naif and Labor and Social Affairs Minister Ali Al-Namlah. He also held talks with Saudi Health Ministry officials.
