LAHORE: Begum Surayya Khurshid – wife of the first elected president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Khurshid Hasan Khurshid and sister of eminent journalist the late Khalid Hasan – passed away here on Tuesday. She was 94.

Mrs Khurshid had been under treatment at the CMH after a hip bone fracture more than a month ago where she breathed her last in the morning, the family said.

Funeral prayers will be held at Khalid Masjid, Cavalry Ground, after Zuhr prayers on Wednesday (today).

Born in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Surayya Khurshid, who held a Master’s degree from the Kinnaird College, had tied the nuptial knot with her cousin Khurshid Hasan Khurshid in Sialkot in 1955.

After the demise of Mr Khurshid in 1988, she looked after the affairs of Jammu Kashmir Liberation League. She also served as a member of the AJK Legislative Assembly for a brief stint 1990-91 against a reserved seat.

Apart from a collection of short stories, she also authored a memoir on her childhood across the divide, Banihal Kay Us Paar, as well as a book on the times spent in the company of Ms Jinnah, titled ‘Yaadon Ki Kehkashan’. Mrs Khurshid also edited the biography of Ms Jinnah ‘Fatima Jinnah Ke Shab-o-Roz’.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2024