Srinagar:14 July: Mustafa Kamal, the younger brother of J&K National Conference’s President Farooq Abdullah passed away after a brief spell of illness, on Tuesday. He was 83.
Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, a senior leader of the JKNC, was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly thrice; in 1983, 1987 and 1996. From 1996 to 2002, he held the portfolio as Health Minister in the Farooq Abdullah-led government.
In the 2002 Assembly polls, he lost to the former Peoples Democratic Party legislator (now with Apni Party) Ghulam Hassan Mir from the Gulmarg constituency.
He was known for his hard-hitting posture and being outspoken on certain issues.
In the capacity of chief spokesperson for the JKNC from 2008, Mustafa Kamal courted many controversies, landing his party into trouble with its then coalition partner, the Congress.
Kamal’s controversial statement against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi eventually led to his sacking from the posts of additional general secretary and chief spokesperson at the time.
Meanwhile, many JKNC leaders and politicians of other ideological hues have paid glowing tributes to Mustafa Kamal and expressed condolence with the bereaved Abdullah family.
The Chief Minister’s office, on the passing of his uncle, Dr Mustafa Kamal, in an official statement expressed “profound grief” and conveyed “deepest sympathies” to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the entire bereaved family.
“They prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and wished strength and fortitude to the family to bear this irreparable loss,” the statement said.
