Former AJK president Raja Zulqarnain Khan dies at 91

Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Raja Muhammad Zulqarnain Khan died on Saturday at the age of 91, 24NewsHD TV reported. A one-day mourning has been announced following his death.

Several political and social leaders expressed sorrow over his death and offered condolences to his family.

Raja Zulqarnain Khan was born on March 15, 1936, in Bhimber district. His father, Khan Bahadur Raja Muhammad Afzal Khan, held government positions in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, including interior, education and revenue minister. Zulqarnain Khan was educated in Srinagar, New Delhi and Lahore.

He entered politics in 1960, initially working with Khurshid Hassan Khurshid. That year he joined the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League, and in 1962 he became its first secretary general. In 1967 he won local government elections and became chairman of the Union Councils of Kasmah and Kalri. In 1969 he was given his first ministerial responsibility in the AJK government.

He was elected to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 1975 from the Samahni constituency of Bhimber, and was re-elected in 1985 and 1991. From 1985 to 1990, under Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan, he held the finance, planning and development, health and revenue portfolios. In 1991 he again served as finance and planning and development minister, this time under Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan.

In 1996 he was elected a member of the Kashmir Council and served until July 7, 2001. He was elected AJK president on July 27, 2006 as the Muslim Conference candidate, and completed a five-year term on August 25, 2011. Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan succeeded him.

During his presidency, rehabilitation of areas affected by the 2005 earthquake and resettlement of families affected by the Mangla Dam raising project were government priorities. He spoke about the Kashmir dispute, peaceful efforts to resolve it, Pakistan-India talks, and respecting the wishes of the Kashmiri people.