Staff Reporter / New Delhi

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has condoled the sad demise of Shafiqur Rahman Barq, Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

In his message, Mr Birla said, “Demise of Shri Shafiqur Rahman Barq, Member of Parliament and senior leader is extremely sad. I pray for eternal peace of his soul. May the Almighty give strength to his friends and family to bear this loss”.

Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq passed away today after a prolonged illness. He was 94. The oldest MP in Parliament took his last breath at a private hospital in Moradabad.

He reached Parliament for the first time by winning the Lok Sabha elections in 1996 on Samajwadi Party ticket.Born on 11 July 1930, Barq started political career with Chaudhary Charan Singh.

During the formation of Samajwadi Party, he worked closely with Mulayam Singh Yadav and was also called the founder member of SP. Shafiqur Rahman was also the convenor of Babri Masjid Action Committee. Shafiqur Rahman Burke was known across the country for raising the voice of the Muslim community.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Samajwadi Party wrote, “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. Heartfelt tribute!” it added.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav condoled the demise of Barq in a post on the microblogging site. “The demise of senior Samajwadi Party leader and several-time MP Mr. Shafiqur Rahman Barq Saheb is extremely sad,” he said.

“May his soul rest in peace. May the bereaved family members get the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Heartfelt tribute!” he added.