Kashmiri separatist leader Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat passed away on Wednesday evening at his residence in Botingoo, Sopore. The former Hurriyat leader 90 years of age.
As per reports, Bhat died after a brief illness. His family said that details regarding his funeral prayers will be announced later.
Abdul Gani Bhat was born in 1935 in Botingoo, a village near Sopore in north Kashmir. He taught Persian at the Government Degree College in Poonch. He entered politics in 1986 by co-founding the Muslim United Front (MUF), after which he was dismissed from his college job.
He then became one of the most prominent separatist leaders, and was one of the founders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference formed in 1993. He remained active in Kashmir’s separatist politics for several decades.
Several Kashmiri leaders issued condolence messages on his demise, including chief minister Omar Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti.
