MIRPUR (AJK) - Renowned elderly Kashmiri freedom movement leader Ch Noor Hussain died here Sunday morning after prolonged illness. He was 97, his family announced.
Ch Noor Hussain, one of the pioneer leaders of the Kashmir freedom movement and father of Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, former Prime Minister of AJK and the PPP AJK’s frontline leader, was bedridden since past many years because of his serious illness. He was under constant intensive treatment of senior doctors since past many months at his native home at Khari Shareef in ancestral Chachian village, in outskirt of Mirpur city. He was the elder brother of late Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, the four-time elected member of the AJK Legislative Assembly and uncle of Ch Arshad Hussain, sitting member of the AJK Legislative Assembly and the former minister.
Being an active and enthusiastic worker of Kashmir freedom movement under the fold of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference and later his own Azad Muslim Conference, late Chaudhry sahib performed a significant role in the freedom struggle before and after 1947 until he was fallen bedridden due to illness following the old age. He remained a member of working committee of the Muslim Conference before and after 1947.At the advent and climax of the Kashmir freedom movement in 1947, Ch Noor Hussain, being an active political leader and activists from Mirpur city, established relief camps for the refugees as well as for the locals in Thothal and Ali Beg areas. He contested elections to the AJK Legislative Assembly in 1970 and 1975 and won the polls.
He was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard at Khari Shareef in his native village Chachian in Mirpur district at 5:00PM Sunday afternoon in presence of thousands of mourners from all segments of the society including social and political leaders, officials of top and subordinate judiciary, members of AJK cabinet and the lawmakers, members of the business community, civil servants, lawyers, journalists and others from various parts of AJK and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the AJK government announced official holiday across the state on Monday (today) and a three days mourning in connection with the death of elderly Kashmiri leader. The flag of AJK will remain at half-mast during the mourning.