Mufti Mohammad Sayeed accorded state funeral

The last rites of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed were performed today evening at his ancestral village, Bijbehara in southern Kashmir.

J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away today morning after prolonged illness. His mortal remains were being taken to his ancestral village in southern Kashmir.  Earlier His mortal remains was kept at his residence in Srinagar for people to pay their last respects.  His burial took place in his ancestral village in southern Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister passed away this morning after a prolonged illness.  The 79-year-old leader who founded the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party had been admitted to the AIIMS with complaints of severe fever and neck pain.  He had been in hospital for two weeks and was being treated for a lung infection.  President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President, Prime Minister and other prominent leaders condoled the demise of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister.  He was on ventilator support at AIIMS in New Delhi.  The 79-year-old leader who founded the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party had been admitted to the AIIMS with complaints of severe fever and neck pain. President Pranab Mukherjee condoled the demise of J&K CM. The President in a tweet said that heartfelt condolences on the passing away of J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Prime Minister in his condolence message said that Mufti Sahab's demise leaves a huge void in the nation & in J&K, where his exemplary leadership had a major impact on people's lives.  Condoling J&K CM's death Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that Sayeed had a wonderful understanding of complex issues pertaining to J&K.  He wanted to bring permanent peace to the valley.  The patron of Jammu and Kashmir's People's Democratic Party took oath as the Chief Minister on 1st March last year with the BJP as a partner in the coalition government.  According to the alliance terms decided between the PDP and BJP, Sayeed was to remain the Chief Minister for the full six-year term of the state assembly. The Chief Minister recently hinted Mehbooba could take over the reins of the state. The transition will make Mehbooba, 56, the first woman Chief Minister of the state.  The 79-year-old leader, who was in the Intensive Care Unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), was flown to the institute on 24th December, last year following complaints of severe fever, respiratory problems and neck pain. He previously served as Chief Minister from 2nd November, 2002, to 2nd November, 2005. He was also Home Minister of India from December 1989 to November 1990.  Mohammad Sayeed had been a member of the Indian National Congress party until 1987.He founded the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, in July 1999. Mehbooba mufti, daughter of MuftiMohammad Sayeed is seen as the logical choice as his successor as Chief Minister. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had himself hinted that few days back. Mehbooba will have the onerous task of steering the party as well as the state.  A law graduate from the University of Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti is one of the most recognized female politicians from Jammu & Kashmir.  Mehbooba, President of J&K PDP, appeared on the political landscape in 1996 after she won the Bijbehara assembly seat of J&K on a ticket from the Congress Party.  Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party was founded in 1999 by her father and she becomes the party vice-president.  After losing to Omar Abdullah in 1999 General Elections from Srinagar; she won the Pahalgam seat in the state assembly from south Kashmir in 2002.  She has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag seat in 2004 and 2014. Hailed as a grassroot leader, she is credited for building the party, with her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, from the scratch.  She now heads the party as its President. Mehbooba has not only changed the political discourse by challenging the might of Abdullah’s of the National Conference but also faced and survived the separatist insurgency in the state from the late 80s.  Born in 1959 in Anantnag district, Mehbooba has two daughters Iltija and Irtiqa.  On various occassions, she has emphasized that her party's core agenda revolves around the ideals of politically stable and economically vibrant future for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.