Begum Kulsoom, the wife of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, died on Tuesday, said Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) President Shehbaz Sharif. She was 68.
Kulsoom was being treated at the Harley Street Clinic in London, reported Geo News. On Monday night, she was placed on life support after her condition deteriorated.
The former Pakistani first lady was diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma in August last year and underwent several operations and at least five chemotherapy sessions, reported the Dawn. In June, she suffered a cardiac arrest and was put on a ventilator.
The family had reported a slight improvement in her condition on July 11, a day before Nawaz Sharif and their daughter Maryam left for Pakistan after being sentenced to 10 years in jail in a corruption case. Both Nawaz Sharif and Maryam are currently lodged in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
After the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif from his seat last year, Kulsoom was elected to Lahore’s NA-120 constituency in a bye-poll. However, she was soon forced to move to London for treatment, and was unable to return and formally take oath for the seat.
From 1999 to 2002, she also served as the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) president after the Nawaz Sharif government was dismissed by former president Pervez Musharraf.
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