Islamabad/Mirpur (HRNW)- Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry passed away in Islamabad after a prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 71. His funeral prayers were offered with full official and military honors at Quaid-e-Azam Stadium, Mirpur, which were attended by senior political leaders of Azad Kashmir, government officials, citizens, and the Commander Rawalpindi Corps.
According to HRNW News, the body of the late president was brought to the stadium with full state protocol, where a smartly turned-out contingent of the Pakistan Army presented a salute. After the funeral prayers, the body was taken to his native village Khari Sharif, Mirpur, for burial.
Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry was elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on August 25, 2021. A law graduate from the United Kingdom, he began his political career in 1983 and was elected to the Azad Kashmir Assembly nine times. He also served as Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir from July 1996 to July 2001, during which he highlighted the Kashmir issue internationally and introduced administrative reforms.
The late leader remained a strong advocate of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and raised the Kashmir issue at international forums including the United Nations, European Parliament, United States, and the United Kingdom. Political leaders and participants of the funeral described him as a fearless, visionary and sincere leader whose struggle will continue to inspire future generations.
His final journey on a gun carriage symbolized state recognition of his lifelong services to the Kashmir cause. In Pakistan’s history, this honor has been reserved for a few distinguished personalities, reflecting Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry’s national and historical significance. Observers termed his departure not just the loss of an individual, but the end of an era in Kashmir politics and advocacy.
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