Pakistan's former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari has died following protracted illness.
Leghari, who was President from November 1993 to December 1997, died at Rawalpindi's Combined Military Hospital last night. He was 70.
Leghari is best remembered for dismissing the PPP government led by slain former premier Benazir Bhutto in 1996.
He had been suffering from cardiac problems for some time and was hospitalised repeatedly.
He had a long association with the Pakistan People's Party, which he joined after quitting civil service.
Leghari was born in Chhoti Zaireen, a village in Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab province.
His body was taken to his native village for burial.
Educated at Oxford, Leghari began his career as a civil servant.
After the death of his father, he quit his job and joined the PPP.
He was cornered in the party due to his differences with its founder, late President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and came to the forefront during the reign of late military dictator
Zia-ul-Haq.
Leghari, who dismissed the Benazir government in 1996, had to quit as President following a clash with the then premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.
He later created the Millat Party and became part of the National Alliance grouping that won 13 parliament seats in the 2002 general election.
The National Alliance later merged with the then ruling PML-Q in 2004.