Mufti Muhammad Waqqas, a former state minister for religious affairs, died of coronavirus early Wednesday at a city hospital. He was 74. Waqqas, also president of a faction of Jamiat-e Ulama-e Islam and a three-time MP, breathed his last around 4:30am at Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital, said his party’s publicity affairs secretary Oliullah Arman. He was admitted to the hospital a few days back with coronavirus infection, said Arman. Wakkkas will be buried at his village home in Jashore’s Manirampur upazila after Namaz-e-janaza at Jamia Emdadia Madaninagar Madrasa after Magrib prayers. He was elected MP from Manirampur (Jashore-5) seat as an independent candidate in the 1986. Later, he joined Jatiya Party during the rule of HM Ershad and got elected MP for the second time in 1988. He was then made state minister for religious affairs.   Also read: Language Movement hero Yusuf Kalu passes away Waqqas joined Jamiat-e Ulama-e Islam after the fall of Ershad and was elected MP for the third time as a candidate of Islami Oikya Jote in 2001 from the same seat. A member of the central advisory council of Hefajat-e Isla, Waqqas also served as senior vice president of Bangladesh Quawmi Madrasah Education Board.