MUZAFFARABAD: Dr Abdul Aala, a veteran anti-India leader in Jammu and Kashmir, passed away here on Tuesday. He was 77.

He remained associated with pro-freedom and anti-India activities since his days as a student and faced arrests and prolonged detentions at the hands of Indian occupation forces on numerous occasions.

Born in a politico-religious family of Shopian in south Kashmir, Dr Aala was a student of MBBS final in Srinagar Medical College during the days of the 1965 war between India and Pakistan.

During an anti-India de­­monstration at the famous Lal Chowk of Srinagar, he hoisted the Pakistani flag on the Ghanta Ghar and eventually landed in prison where he stayed for more than a month.

That was the beginning of his visits to the lockups which continued until he migrated to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in 1990, according to his relatives and colleagues.

Dr Aala had not been feeling well for quite some time and when his condition deteriorated at the weekend, he was admitted to CMH Muzaffarabad, where he died in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

His funeral prayer was led by his eldest son Dr Umar, according to his last will.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017