Jammu & Kashmir mourns Mufti’s loss

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed was widely mourned across the state and beyond on Thursday.

Governor N.N. Vohra, while expressing grief, recalled his long association with Sayeed and said he was “a senior seasoned politician and an astute administrator who was deeply committed to restoring the state to sustained peace and normalcy and carrying it forward to achieve rapid growth and development on all fronts.”

The governor observed that the gap created by Sayeed’s demise in the polity of the state would not be easy to fill.

Former Union minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah expressed profound grief and sorrow over the chief minister’s demise and prayed for peace to the departed soul.

His son, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, along with senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, accompanied the mortal remains of the chief minister flown into Srinagar in an IAF plane and was among the prominent faces at Sayeed’s funeral.

Peoples’ Conference faction leader and state’s minister Sajad Gani Lone took to Twitter after hearing about the demise: “A sad day. A visionary statesman Mufti Sahib passes away. Will always remember him for being a magnanimous leader with a farsighted vision.”

The Northern Command, Army Commander, Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, also expressed grief at Sayeed’s demise and said, “His contribution through long years of public service will always be remembered.”

Srinagar-based Chinar (15) Corps Commander, Lt. Gen. Satish Dua, in his condolence message, said that he was a leader with remarkable political acumen and statesmanship who had made rich contribution towards the political firmament.