Bahawalpur: Member National Assembly, former provincial minister and senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Malik Haji Iqbal Channar passed away after a prolonged ailment here on Saturday.
According to family members, Malik Iqbal Channar suffered a brain hemorrhage several weeks ago and underwent surgery. However, he could not recover and passed away following his prolonged illness. He was the elected MNA from NA-168 Bahawalpur-V. He was also the father of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Malik Haji Zaheer Iqbal Channar.
According to family sources, he received his early education in Bahawalpur before earning his LLB degree from Wilayat Hussain Islamia Law College, Multan, in 1971. He subsequently began his professional career as an advocate and agriculturist. A veteran and ideological leader of PML-N, he entered practical politics through the local government system in the 1980s. He served as a District Council member from 1983 to 1991, later becoming Administrator of the Market Committee (1989-1993) and its Chairman (1993-1994).
He was elected to the Punjab Assembly on the PML-N ticket for three consecutive terms from PP-272 Bahawalpur in the 2002, 2008, and 2013 general elections. During his tenure in the Punjab government under then Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he served as Provincial Minister for Special Education, Provincial Minister for Prisons, and later Provincial Minister for Cooperatives.
In the 2024 general elections, he was elected to the National Assembly for the first time from NA-168 Bahawalpur-V on the PML-N ticket, securing victory with a significant majority. He is survived by two sons and three daughters.