MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 7: AJK’s senior minister Syed Mumtaz Ali Gillani died in London’s Cromwell Hospital on Saturday. He was 66 and is survived by a wife and two sons, family sources said.

His bye-pass operation was conducted on Aug 2 but he could not gain consciousness. In this state his kidneys and lungs also stopped working which caused his sudden death. His body would reach Islamabad on Monday and he would be buried in his ancestral village Rawani, 3 kilometres south of here along the Muzaffarabad-Chakothi road.

Mr Gillani was elected from LA-25 Muzaffarabad-III in July-2001 general elections. He was inducted in the cabinet as minister for communications and works. Later he was given status of senior minister and his portfolio was also changed

Earlier, Mr Gillani was also elected MLA in 1985 and he served as minister for agriculture and animal husbandry from July 1988 to May 1990 in the Sardar Sikandar Hayat led Muslim Conference government.