He was buried at the Grouny graveyard in Khumra area on Jazan Road on Sunday. Family and friends attended the funeral prayer at the Felesteen Mosque on Arbaeen Road, Jeddah, from where he was taken to the graveyard.

A Pakistan national, Siraj left Karachi for Saudi Arabia in December 1990 for better prospects. He was hired by Arab News in the proof reading section prior to his transfer to the Saudi Public Relations Company — a sister company of Arab News under the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) umbrella.

He rejoined Arab News from SPRC as part of the staff of the office of the editor in chief. He left the company in December 2011.

Before joining Arab News, Siraj was employed as a proof reader in the now defunct daily Morning News. He worked for 11 years (1979 to 1990) with this newspaper in Karachi before leaving for Saudi Arabia.

A person of firm character and smiling demeanor, Siraj was ever-ready to assist all in whatever capacity he could. He also regaled his compatriots and colleagues from the subcontinent about life in New Delhi before the partition.

He reminisced about the Indian capital and how he and his friends used to roam the length and breadth of the city, meet interesting people and the life he led before his conscious choice to move to Pakistan.