A seasoned and respected politician, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed played a crucial role in guiding and providing good governance to strife-stricken Jammu & Kashmir during his two terms as the Chief Minister of the state. He built up a strong reputation on the basis of his hard work, emphasis on development of the state, love for the people and loyalty towards the state and the country. Here are a few facts about the great leader.
Early life and background
Sayeed was born on January 12, 1936. He completed his graduation from S.P. College in Srinagar and thereafter obtained a degree in law. He also got a postgraduate degree in Arab history from Aligarh Muslim University. Sayeed was a practicing lawyer before he took a plunge into politics. His political career started way back in the late 50s and in 1962, he was elected to the Assembly from Bijbehara.
Initiation into Politics and Rise
- Sayeed’s career began in the late 50s when he joined G M Sadiq’s Democratic National Conference. Recognizing Sayeed’s potential, Sadiq appointed him as the District Convenor of the party.
- In 1962, Sayeed made a grand entry in the assembly when he was elected to the state assembly from Bijbehara. Sadiq, who had by then become the Chief Minister of J&K, appointed the young Sayeed as a Deputy Minister.
- A few years later, Sayeed parted ways with the Democratic National Conference and joined the Indian National Congress.
- In 1972, Sayeed became a Cabinet Minister. He was also the Congress party’s leader in the Legislative Council.
- In 1986, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed him as the Union Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation.
- In 1987, Sayeed fell out with the Congress. At that time he was the tourism minister, a post he quit and co-founded the Jan Morcha with VP Singh. He won the Lok Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar as a Janta Dal candidate in 1989. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed holds the distinction of being the first Muslim Home Minister in Prime Minister VP Singh’s cabinet.
- In 1999, Sayeed formed his own party – People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The party was founded with the aim to start an unconditional dialogue with Kashmiris for the resolution of the problem which had engulfed the state since 1989.
Term as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir
The newly formed People’s Democratic Part did quite well in the 2002 assembly elections. In coalition with the Indian National Congress, PDP formed the government with Sayeed being sworn in as the Chief Minister for a three-year term. In the 2015 assembly elections, PDP and BJP reached an agreement to form a government. Sayeed who was the unanimous choice for the post of the Chief Minister took the oath of office on March 1, 2015.
Demise
The 79-year-old leader died on Thursday morning in New Delhi of multiple organ failure. He was being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences since December 24, 2015. The condition of Sayeed, who was detected with pneumonia, sepsis, and decreased blood count, deteriorated on Wednesday.
