Abdul Gani Bhat

Abdul Gani Bhat
Bhat in 2016
Born1932 (1932)
Botingoo, Jammu and Kashmir, British Raj
Died (aged 93)
Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, India
EducationAligarh Muslim University
OccupationsAcademic, politician
Known forCo-founder of the Muslim United Front (1986); chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference

Abdul Ghani Bhat (1932 – 17 September 2025) was an Indian academic and Kashmiri separatist leader. He co-founded the Muslim United Front (MUF) in 1986, later served as chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a coalition of separatist groups formed in 1993, and was president of the Muslim Conference, Jammu and Kashmir (MCJK), a political faction banned by the government of India.

Early life and education

Bhat was born in 1932 in Botingoo. He studied at Sri Pratap College in Srinagar, where he completed undergraduate degrees in Persian, Economics, and Political Science. He later obtained a postgraduate degree in Persian and a law degree from Aligarh Muslim University.

Career

Bhat began his professional career as a lawyer in Sopore but left the practice after a short time. In March 1963, he was appointed a professor in Persian at Government Degree College, Poonch. He served in the state education department for over two decades until 1986, when he was dismissed from service by the state government on security grounds.

Activism

In July 1986, Bhat co-founded the Muslim United Front (MUF), a political coalition of religious and social groups. The MUF contested the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, which were later alleged by observers and opposition groups to have been rigged. Following the elections, he was arrested and spent several months in jail. In the aftermath, the MUF fragmented, with Bhat reviving the Muslim Conference, Jammu and Kashmir (MCJK) as one of its successor factions, while the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) continued as the state's ruling party.

In 2004, Bhat, as a leader of the Hurriyat Conference, took part in a delegation that met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani in New Delhi for talks on the Kashmir issue. He also took up the Kashmir issue with the then prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh.

Following the 2016–2017 Kashmir unrest in aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani, Bhat distanced himself from the street protests. He also criticised the Hurriyat's practice of issuing shutdown calendars, arguing that such tactics are ineffective and instead proposed alternative approaches to resolve the conflict.

In December 2017, Bhat was removed from his position as president of the MCJK amid internal disagreements over his reported meeting with India's interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma. The removal was initiated by other party leaders, including Mohammad Sultan Magray, who was appointed acting president.

Bhat also mentored Mukhtar Ahmed Waza from his teen years into a Politician and intellectual, Bhat termed Waza as his son and most trusted political Companion.

Death

Bhat died on 17 September 2025, at the age of 93.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Abdul Gani Bhat Dies at 93; Kashmiri Separatist Championed Dialogue". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ Ashiq, Peerzada (10 December 2017). "Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat expelled for meeting Centre's representative". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  3. ↑ The Hindu Bureau (28 February 2024). "Government bans two factions of Jammu & Kashmir outfit Muslim Conference, Jammu and Kashmir under UAPA". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Abdul Ghani Bhat". Al Jazeera. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 Life, Kashmir (30 March 2016). "Over to Professor". Kashmir Life. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Interview: Abdul Ghani Bhat, MG Vol. 1 No. 13". milligazette.com. 15 August 1947. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Reshi, Haroon (17 August 2018). "Kashmir fondly remembers Atal Bihari Vajpayee". National Herald. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  8. 1 2 Lone, Sameer Showkin (30 June 2020). "With Geelani taking the backseat, will Professor now drive Hurriyat?". dailyO. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Ashiq, Peerzada (10 December 2017). "Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat expelled for meeting Centre's representative". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Prof Abdul Gani Bhat Passes Away at 89". Kashmir Life. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "Abdul Gani Bhat, former Hurriyat chairman and 'voice of moderation', passes away at 93". The Indian Express. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.