ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to former Punjab home minister Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada on his seventh death anniversary.

“Remembering Col. (r ) Shuja Khanzada Shaheed on his seventh death anniversary. He was a great friend, a loyal, committed party leader and above all a noble soul,” he said in a tweet.

The prime minister recalled Khanzada’s steadfastness to combat terrorism despite threats to his own life. “Despite threats to his life, he did not shy away from leading the fight against terrorism as Punjab Home Minister,” he said.

On August 16, 2015, Punjab home minister Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada was killed in a suicide attack on his political office in Shadi Khan village, Attock, along with 16 others.

As an army officer, Khanzada fought in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war, before partaking in the Siachen conflict in 1983.  In 1988, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Basalat for his services.

He retired from the military and entered politics in 1996. He was elected to the Punjab Assembly thrice, in 2002, 2008, and 2013; the latter as a PML-N candidate from his native constituency in Attock.

He was appointed Home Minister in 2014 and spearheaded the campaign against terrorism and sectarian militancy in Punjab.

Remembering Col. (r ) Shuja Khanzada Shaheed on his 7th death anniversary. He was a great friend, a loyal & committed party leader & above all a noble soul. Despite threats to his life, he did not shy away from leading the fight against terrorism as Punjab Home Minister. pic.twitter.com/3GNZKxzXAo

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 16, 2022

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