Sopore, Sept 17: Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, prominent academic, political leader, and former Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, passed away this evening at his residence in Boitengo, Sopore after a brief illness. He was 89 years old.
Prof. Bhat as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust was born in 1935 in the village of Botengo, near Sopore in north Kashmir. He was an erudite scholar, completing his undergraduate studies in Persian, Economics, and Political Science at Sri Pratap College in Srinagar, followed by postgraduate degrees in Persian and a law degree from Aligarh Muslim University.
Before entering politics, he served as a professor of Persian for over two decades. His academic career ended in 1986 when he was dismissed from service on grounds of being a “threat to state security,” a decision that pushed him further into public and political life.
Politically, Prof. Bhat was a co-founder of the Muslim United Front (MUF) in 1986, a coalition which contested the 1987 Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. Following alleged electoral irregularities, the MUF was dissolved, and Prof. Bhat went on to lead the Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference, and later served as Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
He authored the book ‘Beyond Me, and was known for his outspoken views. Throughout his life, he was considered a moderate voice within the separatist spectrum. He always opposed stone-pelting, gun culture and other means of violence.
Family sources said that his Namaz-e-Janazah will be observed tomorrow at 10:00 AM in his native village in Sopore.
His passing marks the end of a long chapter in Kashmir’s history: one of teacher, thinker, and politician who bridged academia and activism.
[KNT]
