MARDAN:
Awami National Party (ANP) leader and Senator Azam Khan Hoti has passed away after protracted illness here on Wednesday.
Hoti, who had been suffering from cancer, was born in Mardan in April 1946 and remained a popular figure there.
He joined Pakistan Army as a commissioned officer in 1970 but took early retirement as a captain. He, along with other ANP leaders, was exiled to Kabul during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s government in 1975 and was jailed during Ziaul Haq’s government.
Father of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, he was lovingly known by his nickname ‘Baba’ (Father) in Mardan.
Hoti was the brother of Senior ANP leader Begum Naseem Wali and brother-in-law of ANP chief Asfandyar Wali.
The late senator was elected a Member of National Assembly (MNA) twice and served as federal minister for communication during both previous tenures of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
His funeral will be held at Mardan. He was 69.
