Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 10: Basa Begum, mother of former Union Health Minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, passed away here this afternoon after prolonged illness.
She was 93 and is survived by four sons and three daughters. Her elder son, Ghulam Qadir Bhat had passed away in 2006 in Saudi Arabia where he had gone to perform Hajj.
She was buried at Gujjar Nagar, Grave yard here this evening. A large number of people from all walks of life attended her burial.
Family sources said that Mr Azad who was in Srinagar rushed to Jammu in helicopter this evening to perform the last rites of his mother.
Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed condoled the demise of Azad’s mother.
National Conference leaders and former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and son, Omar Abdullah also expressed their heartfelt condolences and said that they stood in solidarity with Mr Azad in this moment of shock and irreparable loss.
PCC president Ghulam Ahmed Mir and other leaders of the party expressed deep shock over the demise and conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved leader and other family members and relatives.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami also stood by Azad, Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Prominent among those who attended funeral and burial included former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, former PCC chief Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, CLP Leader Nawang Rigzin Jora, former Minister Sham Lal, Ajay Sadhotra, Sajjad Kichloo, Jugal Kishore Sharma, several legislators including Devinder Singh Rana, Muzaffar Parray, G N Monga, Naresh Gupta; Ex-MLC Ravinder Sharma, Janak Raj Gupta ex-MP, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Pawan Kotwal, ADG Dilbagh Singh, IGP Jammu Danish Rana, DC Jammu Ajit Kumar Sahu and others.