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Former minister Mohammad Sharief Niaz passes away at Jammu
Former minister and veteran Congress leader Mohammad Sharief Niaz passed away following a brief illness here on Monday. He was 75.
Former minister and veteran Congress leader Mohammad Sharief Niaz passed away following a brief illness here on Monday. He was 75.
Though he had contracted Covid-19 infection, he recovered after testing negative twice.
Niaz had been unwell for the past one month and was on oxygen support for the past few days. He breathed his last on Monday morning, said UT Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma.
A widely respected politician, Niaz was elected MLA in 1987 and remained minister of state during the National Conference-Congress government. He was a three-time MLA and Upper House legislator for a couple of years.
During the PDP-Congress rule in J&K from 2002 to 2005, he was the power minister. He vacated his assembly seat for then chief minister and his cousin Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2006 and was inducted into the Upper House later. He was again elected to the assembly in the by-election in 2009, after the seat was vacated by Azad.
Despite old-age ailments, he stayed active in his political and social circles till the last month.
JKPCC president G A Mir and other senior leaders have also expressed shock and grief over the veteran leader’s demise and described him a humble politician.
