Pakistan celebrity TV host and politician Aamir Liaquat dead at 49

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's top television host and politician Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who often courted controversy, died on Thursday at the age of 49 in Karachi city.

Aamir Liaquat was found unconscious at his home and taken to hospital where doctors could not revive him, Pakistani media reported.

In a recent video released on social media, the television celebrity had talked about leaving Pakistan after an "indecent" video clip of him was leaked by his third wife Dania Shah.

Their marriage, announced in February, ended in a fiasco as Dania filed for divorce alleging abuse.

Hours before his death, Aamir Liaquat's Twitter handle had retweeted a tweet by journalist Hamza Azhar Salam.

"Just spoke to @AamirLiaquat who confirms that he has left #Pakistan and is moving to an unknown place after performing Umrah. Best wishes and prayers for #AamirLiaquat's good health and well being," the journalist's tweet reads.

Hamza said Aamir Liaquat had sent him a voice note at 6.32 pm on Wednesday.

"We are all responsible for his death. He was a victim of revenge porn, his mental state was deteriorating but we continued to bully him for our own pleasure. Pakistan lost a son today," he said in a tweet on Thursday.

President Arif Alvi, former president Asif Ali Zardari, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, former interior minister Sheikh Rashid and Senator Faisal Javed Khan were among those who offered condolences over Aamir Liaquat's passing away.

He led "a dynamic life from journalism to politics," Bilawal said.

Aamir Liaquat served as a minister during the rule of military dictator Pervez Musharraf.

He joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of former prime minister Imran Khan in 2018 and was elected as a member of parliament from Karachi that year.

Earlier he belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf adjourned Thursday's house session till Friday 5pm following the legislator's death.

An eloquent Urdu speaker, Aamir Liaquat earned his fame as a television show host and often made controversial statements.

He faced criticism for giving babies for adoption to childless couples during a television show in 2013.

-- BERNAMA