MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider drove to a remote village of Sudhnoti district on Saturday to offer condolences to the family of a senior police official, who died of cardiac arrest a day earlier.

Sardar Ilyas Khan, who was serving as deputy inspector general (DIG) of police in Mirpur division, had breathed his last on Friday noon in Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi, a day after he was shifted there from Mirpur due to some serious cardiac problem.

Mr Khan, who was hardly 52 years old, had joined the AJK Police Services as Assistant Superintendent in 2003 following which he had undergone 30th common training programme in Civil Services Academy Lahore and 6th initial command course at the National Police Academy, Islamabad.

He was promoted to the rank of DIG in 2017.

In Rawalpindi, his funeral prayers were led by former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan following which his body was brought to Sudhnoti district where he was laid to rest in his native Bhagpur Gorah village after the second funeral prayers attended by thousands of people in a big playground.

“In his death, our state has lost an officer who possessed the best administrative abilities… The vacuum thus created in our civil services will take a long time to fill,” said the prime minister while offering condolences to the bereaved family in Baghpur Gorah village.

The AJK premier announced that the government would soon name some official institution in Sudhnoti district after the deceased officer, apart from taking care of his family.

“Sudhnoti is an area of brave and self respecting people who have not only played a pivotal role in Kashmir freedom movement but also development of the liberated territory and therefore I have a special attachment with it,” he said.

He was accompanied by health minister Dr Najeeb Naqi, deputy speaker Sardar Aamer Altaf Khan, adviser Zia Sardar and chairman AJK Zakat Council Sahibzada Saleem Chishti.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2021