Pakistan politician and TV personality Liaquat Hussain dies

Karachi: Aamir Liaquat Hussain, a controversial Pakistani politician, television personality and televangelist, died here Thursday. It was not immediately clear how the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader died, with his family not outlining any reason for his sudden demise and also, according to police, not allowing a post-mortem to be conducted.

The 50-year-old sitting but estranged PTI Member of the National Assembly was recently in the headlines after his third wife, teenage tik-tocker Dania Malik, accused him of drug use, and abusing and tormenting her, and filed for divorce.

A video leaked on social media recently, with fingers pointed towards Dania, showed Liaquat Hussain in a state of undress. Responding to video, the politician had said he would be leaving Pakistan.

Faisal Hussain, a close friend of the deceased lawmaker, said that Liaquat was disturbed after the video, also apparently featuring his third wife, went viral on social media. Faisal claimed Hussain was also upset as no channel had approached him for hosting a Ramazan programme this year, like he used to do.

Senior police officer Muqaddas Haider said Aamir Liaquat’s condition deteriorated early in the morning after which he was taken to the Aga Khan University Hospital, where he was later declared dead.

”Preliminary reports show no foul play but a post-mortem examination would be conducted at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC),” he said.

But, later the politician’s family refused to allow a post-mortem examination.

Liaquat, who was married thrice with two children, was no stranger to controversies and notoriety after he became a household name in Pakistan while hosting religious shows on Geo News channel and later gameshows and Ramazan transmissions on other channels.

But it was his personal life and controversial statements after he entered politics that earned him notoriety.

Jamshed SP Saddam Husain said the deceased lawmaker’s home had been sealed, adding that the police’s crime scene unit has examined the premises and collected evidence.

The officer said Liquat Hussain’s staff told officials that he had complained about feeling anxious in the morning. ”He came out of his room and stayed outside for a while, and later went back inside,” the SP said.

However, when the staff entered the room later, they found Hussain’s hands and feet to be cold, the officer said.

There were also several question marks regarding his academic and religious qualifications as well.

Before joining the PTI in 2018, Liaquat was first elected MNA and became a minister with the MQM but later had a falling out with them.

He faced multiple controversies in his career as a television host as well.

A number of his shows were temporarily banned by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) over alleged hate speech. In 2018, the Islamabad High Court had barred him from making any appearance on electronic media.

Hussain’s love life had also remained at the centre of the public’s fascination. His two bitter divorces dominated news cycles and social media chatter when they happened.