Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 28 : Former Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council and People’s Democratic Party leader Abdul Rashid Dar passed away today after brief illness.
Dar, resident of Bulbul Nowgam village in South Kashmir district of Anantnag was earlier associated with National Conference (NC) and was elected to State Assembly in the year 1987 from Shangus Assembly Segment of Anantnag district.
He was also elected to Upper House of the State Legislature after Dr Farooq Abdullah returned to power in 1996 and later was appointed as Chairman of the Legislative Council.
Dar a soft spokesman had earned respect and admiration from his political opponents as well. He played a crucial role during the debate on Gender Bill which came to debate in Upper House during the tenure of Mufti Mohammed Syeed in 2003 as Chief Minister and took a principled stand on the issue by adjourning the House sine a die which invited the wrath of his party National Conference (NC) and later he was expelled from the primary membership of the party.
Later Dar joined the PDP and remained associated with the same till his last breath.
People from all walks of life including former Finance Minister Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari, former MLA Pahalgam Rafi Ahmad Mir, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president, G.A. Former Minister and ex State Congress president, Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed, Ex MLA Shangus, Gulzar Ahmad Wani, CPI (M) senior leader, Muhammad Yousuf Taragami, Hakeem Muhamamd Yaseen, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Imran Nabi Dar, Manzoor Ganie and chairman Political Migrants Front , Sheikh Mohi-ud_Din Shabnam have expressed profound grief and shock over his demise and termed his death a great loss for J&K.
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