Hyderabad: Thousands of people, including eminent religious and political personalities, offered Namaz-e-Janaza of Syed Viqaruddin, Editor of Rahnuma-e-Deccan and Chairman of Indo-Arab League, at Mecca Masjid after Friday prayers. Later, he was buried in the graveyard of Ahata-e-Moosa Quadri in Hussain Alam.
Syed Viqaruddin passed away at about 11:30 pm on Thursday night. He was 82. He was unwell for the last few months and was undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Nanal Nagar where he suffered a heart stroke at about 5:50 pm. He breathed his last at about 11:30 pm.
Syed Viqaruddin was a highly respected personality across the world, especially in the Urdu speaking regions of the world. Besides heading the Rahnuma-e-Deccan, the oldest and one of the leading Urdu newspapers of Hyderabad, he was associated with various social and philanthropic activities.
He established the Indo-Arab League in 1967 to support the Palestinians in their fight for their rights. His efforts were well endorsed in the Arab world. The Indo-Arab League was recognised by the United Nations as an NGO. He was personally known to several heads of Arab countries. They include Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussain, Muammar Gaddafi and Mahmood Abbas. He was also a recipient of several international awards for his services. About two years ago, he was felicitated by 22 countries of the Arab League in a programme conducted in New Delhi.
Syed Viqaruddin was an alumni of Aligarh Muslim University. He was also the captain of AMU’s cricket team and played cricket along with stalwarts like Jai Shimha and Abbas Ali Baig.Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, Home Minister Mahmood Ali, TPCC President A. Revanth Reddy, former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir, CPI leader Aziz Pasha and several eminent personalities from different sections of the society expressed deep shock over the demise of Syed Viqaruddin. They conveyed their condolences to the members of the bereaved family. (INN)