LAHORE: Former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo passed away in Lahore on Tuesday after a prolonged illness, his secretary Muhammad Asif confirmed. He was 86.
The veteran politician is survived by three sons and four daughters. His grandson, columnist Hassan Kamal Wattoo, announced the death on social media platform X, adding that the funeral prayers will be held at Wasawewala Stadium in Okara at 2pm on Wednesday.
With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of my beloved grandfather, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo.
Janaza prayers will be held at Wasawewala stadium, district Okara, at 2 pm tomorrow.
— Hassan Kamal Wattoo (@hkwattoo1) December 16, 2025
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief over Wattoo’s demise, paying tribute to his “invaluable public service, role in strengthening democracy, and contributions to national unity,” according to a post from the Presidency. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condoled the death, saying Wattoo’s services to the country’s politics would always be remembered, state-run APP reported.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed deep grief over the passing of senior politician Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, paying tribute to his invaluable public service, role in strengthening democracy, and contributions to national unity. May Allah grant him eternal peace.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) December 16, 2025
A seasoned political operator
Born on August 14, 1939, in Deepalpur, Okara district, Manzoor Wattoo had a long and eventful political career spanning several decades. He began as chairman of the Okara district council in 1983 and entered the Punjab Assembly in 1985, where he was elected speaker.
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He was re-elected to the provincial assembly in 1988 and again became speaker after joining the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League, then part of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). In 1990, he won both National and Provincial Assembly seats from the IJI platform but chose to remain in Punjab, serving as speaker for a third consecutive term.
Wattoo rose to the office of Punjab chief minister in April 1993 after orchestrating a dramatic shift in the provincial assembly that led to the ouster of then chief minister Ghulam Haider Wyne, following the dismissal of the Nawaz Sharif government at the centre by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. His elevation was backed by a breakaway faction of the PML and supported by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Subsequently, the PML split, with Wattoo leading the PML-Junejo faction in Punjab. After falling out with the PPP in 1995, he later formed the Pakistan Muslim League–Jinnah. He faced corruption cases in the mid-1990s, spending time in custody before being acquitted.
During the Pervez Musharraf era, Wattoo joined the Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid (PML-Q), merging his faction into the party at Musharraf’s behest. In the 2008 general elections, he returned to parliament as an independent from Okara, later joining the PPP and serving as federal minister for Kashmir affairs in the 2008–2013 coalition government.
He was appointed PPP’s central Punjab president in 2012, a move that surprised many within the party. Wattoo later joined Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in 2018, before returning to the PPP last year.
Known as a shrewd and adaptable political figure, Manzoor Wattoo remained influential across changing political landscapes, carving out key roles in multiple governments over nearly four decades.
