Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, J&K Separatist Leader, Passes Away at 89
SRINAGAR: Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, a prominent separatist leader, academic, and former chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), passed away on Wednesday evening at his home in Sopore, north Kashmir. He was 89 years old.
Born in 1935 in Sopore, Bhat pursued studies in Persian, economics, and political science at Sri Pratap College in Srinagar, later obtaining postgraduate degrees in Persian and law from Aligarh Muslim University. He dedicated 22 years to teaching Persian before entering politics, co-founding the Muslim United Front in 1986 and subsequently becoming the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, a coalition of separatist groups established in 1993.
Bhat was notably associated with the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led faction of Hurriyat. He was among the first separatists to engage in direct dialogues with the Indian government in the early 2000s. In January 2004, he participated in a meeting with then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani in New Delhi, which was followed by a discussion with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He also formed part of Hurriyat delegations that met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 and 2006.
After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Bhat called for restraint, stating that “there should be no war between India and Pakistan.”
Tributes flowed in from various political leaders following his death. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the loss as “huge” on a personal level. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remarked on social media, “Our political ideologies were poles apart, but I will always remember him as a very civil person… he had the courage to espouse the cause of dialogue when many believed violence was the only way forward.”
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti referred to him as “a voice of moderation amidst the tumultuous history of Kashmir.” CPM’s M.Y. Tarigami recognized him as “an eminent figure in J&K’s political landscape,” and Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone acknowledged Bhat’s contributions as a literary figure in addition to his political involvement.
