Former Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Sopore, Kashmir. He passed away on Wednesday evening at the age of 94 due to a prolonged illness, having remained largely out of the public eye since 2020.
Following his death, political leaders extended their condolences; however, authorities reportedly imposed restrictions on some leaders, placing them under house arrest on Thursday. Prof. Bhat was a prominent figure in separatist politics, advocating for dialogue between India and Pakistan regarding Kashmir. He served as president of the Muslim Conference, which is associated with the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference. This organization was banned after the revocation of Article 370 in 2019.
Bhat held a postgraduate degree in Persian and a bachelor’s degree in law from Aligarh Muslim University. He co-founded the Muslim United Front (MUF), which contested the controversial 1987 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, an event widely believed to have ignited the armed insurgency in the region in the early 1990s.
On the days following his death, Bhat’s family alleged that security forces sealed off their village to restrict mourners from attending the last rites, though police officials denied these claims.
In expressing their grief, various political leaders took to social media. Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah shared his sorrow and extended sympathies to Bhat’s family. He emphasized Bhat’s position as a “senior Kashmiri political leader” known for advocating dialogue during a time when many favored violence as a solution. “Our political ideologies were poles apart, but I will always remember him as a very civil person. May Professor Bhat sb find a place in Jannat,” he remarked.
The late Hurriyat chief was among those who participated in Track-II dialogues between New Delhi and Islamabad on Kashmir during the early 2000s when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was in power under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq also paid tribute, recalling over 35 years of association with Bhat as a privilege. He described Bhat as a respected academic and politician who upheld dialogue and peaceful engagement as the only viable solution to the Kashmir issue. “His absence has created a void that cannot be filled, but his words, vision, and example will continue to inspire,” Mirwaiz stated.
Prominent political leaders, including Mirwaiz and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, alleged they were placed under house arrest to prevent them from visiting Sopore and expressing their condolences. Mufti shared her frustration on social media, stating, “I have been locked inside my home and denied the right to walk with him on his final journey. To be deprived of even the solace of participating in his janazah is an unbearable cruelty.”
She condemned the BJP-led Union government, criticizing the detentions as indicative of the undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir. “What unfolded at Hazratbal Dargah—the eruption of spontaneous, raw public anger—was not just an isolated incident,” she asserted, characterizing it as a message from a people pushed to the brink.
The article originally appeared on Maktoob Media.
Tags: Kashmir, Abdul Gani Bhat, Hurriyat, political leaders, house arrest
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