MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry passed away after a prolonged illness in Islamabad on Saturday at the age of 71.
His funeral prayer will be offered on Sunday at 3 PM in his ancestral village of Chichian, Mirpur.
Born on August 9, 1955, in Chichian town of Mirpur in Azad Kashmir, Barrister Chaudhry was a prominent political leader and a staunch advocate for the Kashmir cause. He completed his early education in his hometown and later attended the Cant Public School in Rawalpindi for his matriculation.
He went on to graduate from Gordon College Rawalpindi before moving to the United Kingdom for higher studies. There, he earned his law degree from the renowned Lincoln’s Inn.
Barrister Chaudhry returned to Pakistan in 1983 and began his political career. He served as the deputy leader of the opposition in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly alongside former President Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan.
In 1990, he was a candidate for the presidency of Azad Kashmir, but was narrowly defeated due to a minor age-related technicality. He was elected as Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 1996, and held the position until 2001.
Over the years, Barrister Chaudhry held several key positions, including serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. He was also the president of multiple political parties, including the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League, Pakistan Peoples Party, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Azad Kashmir. His influence was widely felt in every political party he led.
In 2021, he was elected as the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Throughout his political career, Barrister Sultan Mehmood worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the Kashmir issue on international platforms.
He spearheaded numerous rallies and protests in cities such as London, New York, Brussels, and Dublin, bringing the Kashmir dispute to the attention of world leaders and international organizations. He also met with European and Islamic ambassadors in Islamabad to brief them on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
One of his significant achievements was his visit to the occupied Kashmir, where he addressed the people of Srinagar at the historical Lal Chowk and met with various Kashmiri leaders, including Syed Ali Geelani, Shabbir Shah, and Yasin Malik. His visit to the region was a momentous event in the history of Azad Kashmir’s political engagement with Jammu and Kashmir.
Barrister Chaudhry’s death is a profound loss for the people of Azad Kashmir and the entire Kashmir region. His contributions to the Kashmiri cause and his unwavering commitment to highlighting the plight of Kashmiris will be remembered for years to come.
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