FORMER Glasgow MP Mohammad Sarwar suffered a heart attack only to be told the next day that his father had died.

Mr Sarwar, 60, was taken to hospital in Manchester on Saturday with chest pains.

He was diagnosed as having suffered a heart attack and kept in for treatment.

But on Sunday he was given the news in his hospital bed that his father Mohammed Abdullah had died.

Mr Abdullah was 93. The cause of his death has not been revealed.

Mr Sarwar was visiting Pakistan when he started feeling unwell but began making his journey home to Glasgow anyway.

Unfortunately he was not well enough to complete the trip and when his flight landed in Manchester, as scheduled, he went to hospital.

Mr Sarwar is undergoing further tests though he is said to be "stable".

His son Anas – the current Labour MP for Glasgow Central – travelled to Manchester to be with his father.

A spokesman for the MP told the Evening Times: "It would appear that Mohammad Sarwar became unwell in Pakistan before the flight back home.

"He still had chest pains when he landed in Manchester and he attended hospital where it became apparent that he had suffered a heart attack."

Ann McKechin, Labour MP for Glasgow North said: "I am very sorry to hear that my colleague Mohammad Sarwar is in hospital and hope he makes a very speedy recovery.

"He has been long known for his tireless work in assisting hundreds of people both here in the UK and in his charity work in Pakistan.

"I know he will be anxious to return to his work as soon as he can."

Mr Sarwar became Britain's first Muslim MP when elected to represent Glasgow Govan in the 1997 General Election.

He then represented Glasgow Central until he stood down in 2010 to be succeeded by his son Anas.

linzi.watson@ eveningtimes.co.uk