LAHORE: Funeral prayers for Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Secretary General Ameerul Azeem were offered on Thursday at Mansoorah. The prayers were led by JI Pakistan Chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, who paid glowing tribute to the late leader’s lifelong religious, national and organizational services.
The funeral was attended by senior JI leaders, political and religious figures, lawyers, journalists, teachers, traders, representatives of farmers and labourers, civil society members, party workers and thousands of people from different walks of life.
Among those who attended the funeral were Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, former Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, former Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, former Federal Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, former Mayor of Lahore Khawaja Ahmad Ahsan, JUI-F leader Maulana Amjad Khan, PML-N leaders Hafiz Nauman and Mian Marghoob, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith chief Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer, former PPP leader Munir Ahmad Khan, JI Vice Emirs Mian Muhammad Aslam, Dr Ataur Rehman and Dr Osama Razi, JI Deputy Secretaries Nazir Janjua, Azhar Iqbal Hassan and Waqas Jafri, JI Central Punjab Emir Javed Kasuri, JI Sindh Emir Kashif Saeed Sheikh, JI North Punjab Emir Dr Tariq Saleem, JI South Punjab Emir Syed Zeeshan Akhtar, JI North KP Emir Inayatullah Khan, JI Central KP Emir Abdul Wasey, JI Hazara Emir Abdul Razzaq Abbasi, JI Karachi Emir Muneem Zafar, JI Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari, JI leaders Rashid Naseem, Dr Fareed Paracha, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Abdul Malik and Hafiz Muhammad Idrees, JI Azad Kashmir Secretary General Jahangir Khan, former JI Azad Kashmir Emir Abdul Rasheed Turabi, Director of JI Foreign Affairs Asif Luqman Qazi, JI Information Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi, JI Islamabad Secretary Zubair Safdar, Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba Pakistan Nazim-e-Aala Sahibzada Waseem Haider, PILDAT President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, senior journalists Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Ali Sajjad, Mubasher Lucman, Qayyum Nizami, Nasrullah Malik, Muhammad Usman, Hafeezullah Niazi and Mian Zahoor Wattoo, Markazi Muslim League leader Talha Saeed, Haq Nawaz Ghumman, and Jamaat-e-Islami district emirs from across the country. Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee leaders Sardar Deepak Singh and Sandeep Singh, along with representatives of minority communities, also attended the funeral.
Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora, Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee leaders Sardar Deepak Singh and Sandeep Singh, along with representatives of minority communities were also present.
Addressing the mourners, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said Ameerul Azeem had dedicated his entire life to the struggle for the establishment of Islam. He described him as a man of exemplary character, deeply compassionate and devoted to JI workers, always caring for every member of the organization. He said the late leader fought cancer with remarkable courage and never allowed his illness to hinder his religious and organizational responsibilities.
The JI chief said that despite being senior in age, Ameerul Azeem fulfilled the responsibilities of Secretary General with complete dedication and discipline, setting an example for every party worker. He added that Ameerul Azeem firmly believed Jamaat-e-Islami had entered a decisive phase in its struggle for the establishment of Islam, and urged party workers and all those committed to the supremacy of Islam to prepare themselves for the great mission ahead. He prayed that Allah Almighty grant the departed leader the highest ranks in Paradise.
Speaking on the occasion, Liaqat Baloch recalled his 52-year association with Ameerul Azeem, tracing his journey from student activism to his final responsibilities in Jamaat-e-Islami. He said Ameerul Azeem’s lifelong struggle would remain an inspiration for every worker of the movement and prayed for his elevated status in the Hereafter and patience for the bereaved family.
Ameerul Azeem passed away on Wednesday night after battling cancer. He faced the disease with extraordinary patience, resilience and determination, and continued to discharge his organizational and movement responsibilities until his last moments.
Born in Lahore in 1958, Ameerul Azeem earned an MBA from the University of the Punjab. He began his activist career with Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, serving as Nazim of IJT Lahore before being elected Nazim-e-Aala of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba Pakistan. During General Zia-ul-Haq’s rule, he led the movement for the restoration of student unions, endured imprisonment, and was elected Nazim-e-Aala while still in jail. He also served as President of the Punjab University Students Union.
After graduating from student politics, he held several key positions in Jamaat-e-Islami, including Emir of Lahore, Emir of Central Punjab, Central Information Secretary, and twice served as Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. In 2019, then JI Emir Sirajul Haq appointed him as the party’s Secretary General.
The late leader devoted his life to the establishment of Islam, democratic struggle and the supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan. He played a frontline role in the historic Lawyers’ Movement for the restoration of the judiciary and contested the 2002 by-election for a Punjab Assembly seat from Lahore on the platform of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). Widely respected across political, social and media circles for his humility, courtesy and cordial relations, Ameerul Azeem was regarded as one of Jamaat-e-Islami’s finest organizers, mentors and ideological guides.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026