93-year-old Samajwadi party leader Shafiqur Rahman Barq passes away

NEW DELHI: Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shafiqur Rahman Barq passed away on Tuesday after prolonged illness.

The veteran leader was 93 years old and served as an MP from the Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier this month, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav met the SP MP at Siddha Hospital in Moradabad and inquired about his health.

Expressing grief over the death of the senior SP leader, Samajwadi party Chief Akhilesh Yadav in a post on X said, “The demise of senior Samajwadi Party leader and several-time MP Mr. Shafiqur Rahman Barq Saheb is extremely sad. May his soul rest in peace. May the bereaved family members get the strength to bear this immense sorrow”.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary also condoled the death of the senior SP leader. “My condolences on the death of Shri Shafiqur Rahman Barq ji. He was a leader with a real connect with the grassroots!”

Barq was the oldest member of the current Lok Sabha and had been named by the SP as the candidate for Sambhal in 2024 as well. Shafiqur Rahman Barq had been in the headlines for his controversial statements on ‘Vande Mataram’ and Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

In August 2021, the Samajwadi party MP was booked for comparing the ‘Taliban terrorists to India’s freedom fighters’. Coming out in support of the regime change in Afghanistan, Shafiqur Rahman Barq said that the Taliban is fighting for the freedom of their country and Afghan people want freedom under its leadership. (ANI)