VEHARI (Web Desk) - Pakistan’s tallest man Zia Rasheed breathed his last on Tuesday following a protracted illness.
He passed away at the age of 30 in Vehari due to a prolonged disease related to knee pain.
His funeral prayer drew a sizable crowd, including well-known social and political figures.
He was the tallest guy in Pakistan at the age of 15. But since he first experienced knee discomfort at the age of 20, he had been afflicted with a knee-related illness for a long time.
He was not able to receive medical treatment, and neither had the government taken care of him.
"His condition worsened over time due to the unsupportive attitude of the government,” his family said.
Rasheed underwent three surgeries but his situation worsened.
Rasheed had a normal childhood by most standards: he attended school, teased his five siblings and played cricket with his friends and cousins on the dusty streets of his village in central Pakistan.
But his 12th birthday came with an incredible growth spurt. At 23, Rasheed measured eight feet in height, making him the tallest man in Pakistan. He was only three inches shy of the world record for the tallest man on earth.
The rest of his family, including his parents, four brothers and one sister, are all average-sized.
But for all his uniqueness, the story of Rasheed’s life as he tells it is one of giant misfortune, ill health and poverty.
Death anniversary of Alam Channa
It merits mention here that the death of Zia Rasheed coincided with the death anniversary of Alam Channa - the tallest living man in the world between 1982 and 1998.
Today marks the 26th death anniversary of Mohammad Alam Channa.
According to the “Guinness Book of world Records”, he was the tallest living man in the world between 1982 and 1998. He was 7.7 feet tall.
Alam Channa died on July 2, 1998 and was buried in Sehwan Sindh.