Prominent Kashmiri freedom fighter Abdul Ghani Bhatt passes away at 89

Former chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and a supporter of talks between India and Pakistan, Professor Abdul Ghani Bhatt, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 89 in the Sopore district of occupied Kashmir.

According to a media report, according to his family, he had been ill for some time and died at his home. It is also reported that the administration had instructed the family to complete the burial by Wednesday night. According to reports, Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other colleagues coming from Srinagar were not allowed to go to Sopore.

Professor Abdul Ghani Bhatt was known for describing every crisis and its solution by quoting classical Persian poets. He was among the few leaders in occupied Kashmir whose political journey spanned from central electoral politics to the struggle for a final solution to the Kashmir issue.

He left government service and entered politics, and became one of the founding leaders of the Muslim United Front (MUF), which contested the 1987 elections. Later, in the 1990s, he became the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, an alliance of at least 13 anti-India parties, and for many years set the direction of Kashmiri politics.

Advocate of talks with Islamabad and Delhi

He has always been in favor of talks with both Delhi and Islamabad on the Kashmir issue. In 2004, he was among the few Kashmiri leaders who met and posed for photographs with the then Indian Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader LK Advani. After this meeting, he received both criticism and praise for his statement that “the peace process should move forward gradually, political talks should replace guns”.

He repeatedly tried to establish meaningful talks on the Kashmir issue by contacting Pakistani and Indian mediators.

UN resolutions declared unworkable

In 2017, he was removed from the presidency of the Muslim Conference because he met Delhi's special envoy Dineshwar Sharma and expressed willingness for talks. Earlier, in 2012, he faced severe criticism when he said that 'UN resolutions are unworkable and it is time to work with mainstream parties to at least formulate a common program'.

He was among the few leaders who maintained good relations with central leaders, including Mufti Sayeed, founder of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, 'I have lost a compassionate elder, a dear friend and colleague, this is a huge personal loss, Kashmir has lost one of its sincere and visionary leaders'.

PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said, “I am deeply saddened. He was a voice of moderation in a turbulent period of Kashmiri history. He was a respected scholar, teacher, and intellectual whose political approach was realistic”.

National Conference Vice President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said, “I am saddened to hear the news of the demise of senior Kashmiri political leader and teacher Professor Abdul Ghani Bhatt. Our political views were different, but I will always remember him as a civilized personality. He dared to advocate dialogue at a time when many believed that violence was the only way out. That is why he met the then Prime Minister Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister Advani. May Allah grant Bhatt a place in heaven”.