Mian Bashir Ahmed Larvi (November 1923 – 14 August 2021) was the eldest son of saint Mian Nizam ud Din, the founder President of Gujjar-Jat Conference, a socio political body established in 1932. He was a politician and a Caliph of Islamic Sufi order (Naqshbandi, Majadadi, Larvi) in Jammu and Kashmir. He was born in November 1923 in Pehalnar Wangath, Kangan Ganderbal

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

and died in August 2021 (Babanagri Wangat) at the age of 97.

Early life and family

He was born in November 1923 in

. His native name was "Baba Ji", his father Mian Nizam Din Larvi and his grandfather Baba Jee Sahib Larvi were also religious personalities in Kashmir. They are buried in Wanghat, Kashmir. Mian Bashir Sahib has two sons Mian Sarfraz Ahmed and Mian Altaf Ahmed. Mian Altaf Ahmed has served as Minister of Forestry, Ecology and Environment in Jammu and Kashmir. He had been a

Cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

in Jammu and Kashmir. Mian Nizam Ud Din larvi, Mian Bashir Ahmed larvi and Mian Altaf Ahmed never lost any election since they stepped into politics. Mian Bashir Ahmed declared his son Mian Altaf Ahmed as Wali E Ahed (Crown Caliph) successor on annual occasion of 8 June 2017, making him heir-designate to the throne.

Religious views

He was a Muslim. He proselytizes the doctrines of

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

and (Majadadi) in order to advocate

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

to his followers through Bayyet. His most renowned follower is Sheikh Al-Mashaikh Faisal ur rehman Usmani Qadri Suhrawardi, Chishti Qalandari Abul Alai Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Madari Shatari Ferdowsi Nizami Sabri Jahangiri Shazli.

Political career

While on a pilgrimage to his ancestral (Sufi) saint's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

in Hazara, Pakistan during the period of General Zia-ul-Haq, he was followed by a large group of people,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

i officials. In the wake of his influence in world, high security protocol was given and the

Pakistani army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

was deployed. He was not allowed to go to his

due to security concerns and this was his reason for quitting politics. He had been elected four times to the State Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. He was closely associated with Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah,

Mir Qasim Mir Qasim () was the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763. He was installed as Nawab with the support of the British East India Company, replacing Mir Jafar, his father-in-law, who had himself been supported earlier by the East India Company afte ...

and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, he was a minister in their cabinets. He had been closely associated with various top leaders in India including Mrs.

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...

, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. Mian Bashir Ahmed represented Kashmir issue in the United Nations to argue for peace. He had headed many delegations to international forums.

Indo-Pakistan Wars

During the

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

Indo-Pakistan Wars he worked for peace and prosperity of the State and helped rehabilitate people in the tribal and border belts of Jammu and Kashmir. During the course of the ongoing insurgency since 1989 he worked to eradicate misconceptions between various communities.

Awards

He was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

(the third highest civilian award), by the

government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

on 26 January 2008 for his contribution to the society.

References