Srinagar: Former Hurriyat Conference chairman and veteran separatist leader Abdul Gani Bhat passed away at his residence in Sopore on Wednesday. He was 90.
Bhat, regarded as a moderate voice among separatists, had been ailing for several years and remained largely confined to his home in Sopore, Baramulla district. He breathed his last in the evening, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq confirmed.
“I just received a call from Bhat Sahib’s son confirming the sad news of his demise,” Mirwaiz told reporters, adding that the veteran leader’s death was a personal loss. Bhat is likely to be laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Sopore, family sources said.
Reacting to the news, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that while their political views were poles apart, Bhat would be remembered as “a very civil person.” “He had the courage to espouse the cause of dialogue when many believed violence was the only way forward, which led him to meet then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy PM L.K. Advani,” Abdullah posted on X.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti described Bhat as “a voice of moderation amidst Kashmir’s tumultuous history,” adding that despite their differences, she often turned to him for solace. “He was an esteemed scholar, teacher, and intellectual with a pragmatic approach to politics and a strong advocate of peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue,” she said.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a post on X, called him “an affectionate elder, dear friend and colleague” and prayed for him to be granted the highest place in Jannah.
At the height of militancy, Bhat stood apart from hardliners like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Masarat Alam, consistently advocating dialogue with New Delhi. He played a pivotal role in pushing the Hurriyat Conference into talks with the Centre during the Vajpayee-led NDA government and later under the UPA headed by Manmohan Singh.
His moderate stance, however, triggered divisions within the separatist amalgam, making him the last chairman of the undivided Hurriyat. A staunch opponent of violence, Bhat had also criticized prolonged shutdowns in the Valley.
Born in 1935 in Botengoo, Sopore, Bhat studied Persian at Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, before pursuing postgraduate degrees in Persian and Law at Aligarh Muslim University. He initially practiced law in Sopore and later served as a professor of Persian at Government College, Poonch, from 1963 until his dismissal in 1986 on security grounds.
He formally entered politics the same year, co-founding the Muslim United Front (MUF) — a right-leaning alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. Following the disputed 1987 Assembly elections, in which MUF performed strongly but lost amid widespread allegations of rigging, Bhat was jailed for several months.
Later, he revived the Muslim Conference, which went on to become a key constituent of the Hurriyat Conference formed in 1993. Known for his suavity and political acumen, Bhat remained a significant figure in Kashmir’s separatist politics until his final years.
