Jammu, February 13 Senior National Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir minister, Qamar Ali Akhoon, passed away at a hospital here on Friday at the age of 68, officials said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Ladakh Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta expressed their grief over the death of the veteran politician from Kargil.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather, paid tributes to the deceased leader after the House was informed of his demise by NC legislator, Tanvir Sadiq. Later, the House observed a two-minute silence for the former minister.
Akhoon, who had been unwell for some time, was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu, and passed away during treatment, officials said.
His body would be taken by helicopter to his hometown, Kargil, for the last rites, they added, further stating that a senior NC delegation, led by Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, and Health Minister, Sakeena Itoo, visited the hospital upon hearing of his demise and paid their respects.
Akhoon was a co-chairman of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which, along with the Leh Apex Body (LAB), is engaged in dialogue with the Centre over the demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under the sixth schedule.
Born on August 15, 1957, in the village of Sangrah, about 48 km from Kargil town, Akhoon began his political career in the 1980s.
He was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 1987 and was re-elected from the Kargil assembly constituency in 1996.
During this period, he served as Minister of State for Works and Power for six years.
In 2002, he was unopposed elected as a councillor and later became the first Chief Executive Councillor and Chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, following its formation.
He was again elected to the assembly in 2008 and was inducted into the cabinet headed by Omar Abdullah on October 11, 2009, as Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution and Transport.
On June 11, 2014, he was appointed as an advisor to the Chief Minister while serving as a legislator from the Kargil constituency.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed profound grief over the sudden demise of Qamar Ali Akhoon, remembering him as a dedicated public figure who served people with commitment and humility.
He conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.
Speaker Rather described him as a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly for the welfare and development of the people, particularly in the Kargil region.
The assembly also observed a two-minute silence during the second sitting to pay tributes to former minister Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah after NC MLA Altaf Ahmad Wani informed the House about his death in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
