ISLAMABAD, Nov. 11 — Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui passed away in Islamabad on Monday after a brief illness, his family confirmed.
According to family members, the senator had been receiving treatment at a local hospital in the federal capital for the past several days due to respiratory complications. They clarified earlier in the day that Siddiqui had not been placed on a ventilator but was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) owing to breathing difficulties.
وفاقی وزیرداخلہ محسن نقوی کا سینیٹر عرفان صدیقی کے انتقال پر اظہار افسوس
وزیرداخلہ کا سوگوار خاندان سے دلی ہمدردی و اظہار تعزیت
وزیرداخلہ کا
سینیٹر عرفان صدیقی کی صحافتی و سیاسی خدمات کو خراج عقیدت
سینیٹر عرفان صدیقی مرحوم صحافت کے ساتھ سیاست میں بھی اعلی روایات کے علمبردار تھے— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) November 10, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the lawmaker’s passing and extended condolences to his family. In a statement issued by the Presidency, he lauded Siddiqui’s “immense contributions to democracy” and his long-standing role in national politics.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also paid tribute to the late senator, describing him as a “thinker, teacher, and principled intellectual.” In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, he said Siddiqui’s death was “a great loss for me, for the academic world, and for society.” He added that Siddiqui’s services to the PML-N and to Pakistan’s political and intellectual spheres would be remembered with respect.
سینئیر سیاستدان مسلم لیگ نون کے اہم رہنما سینیٹر عرفان صدیقی کی طبیعت انتہائی ناساز ہے۔ انہیں شدید علالت کے بعد وینٹیلیٹر پر منتقل کردیا گیا ہے۔اللہ کریم انہیں صحت کاملہ عطاء فرمائے ۔ pic.twitter.com/2u4qmlHFZF
— Dr. Tariq Fazal Ch. (@DrTariqFazal) November 10, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi extended condolences as well, calling Siddiqui a “champion of high traditions in journalism and politics.”
Earlier on Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had stated on social media that Siddiqui’s condition had worsened and that he had been placed on a ventilator, though the family later refuted that claim.
Senator Siddiqui served as the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and as the PML-N’s parliamentary leader in the Senate. A seasoned journalist and columnist, he was known for his literary and political commentary.
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In 2019, Siddiqui was briefly arrested in Islamabad under the tenancy law but was later released on bail.
Funeral arrangements were yet to be announced by his family.
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