Tributes have been paid to Pakistani-Scottish politician Bashir Maan after his death at the age of 93.
He was the first Muslim in the UK to hold an elected position when he became a Glasgow councillor in 1970.
A long-standing Labour member, he split with the party in 2004 over the Iraq War. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described him as “a trailblazer and role model in the Scottish Muslim community”.
A spokesman for Maan’s family said: “He was a giant of the community and we are touched by the love shown for him.
“To us, he was just dad and granddad and we ask to be given space and time to mourn his loss.” The Muslim Council of Scotland said Maan was a “trailblazer who worked tirelessly for the
community”.
Maan moved to Glasgow from Pakistan in 1953.
He was also a justice of the peace and served as chairman of the old Strathclyde Police Board.
Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar said Maan “tore down the walls of inequality”, adding that the Scots-Pakistani community owed him “a great debt”.
