Syed Mir Qasim (17 March 192112 December 2004) was an Indian politician who served as the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

chief minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

of Jammu and Kashmir from 1971 to 1975. Qasim's political career first began during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, when he became a leader of the non-sectarian, pro-democracy Quit Kashmir political movement. His advocacy against the monarchical rule of Maharaja

Hari Singh Hari Singh Bahadur (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir of the Dogra dynasty. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's deat ...

resulted in his imprisonment. After India's independence, Syed Mir Qasim was involved with the drafting of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. He went on to serve in various State and Union positions. He is credited with having established the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

in Kashmir. He served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after the death of Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq. He resigned from the office in 1975 in order to pave the way for the return of

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah was the founding leader and President of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Confer ...

after the Indian Government reached an accord with the latter. In his autobiography, ''My Life and Times'', published in September 1992, Qasim provided interesting historical detail on the struggle of Kashmiris to throw off the yoke of monarchy in the princely state through the Quit Kashmir movement, as well as background on the issue of accession to India rather than choosing to join Pakistan. Qasim died in an ambulance near India Gate in New Delhi on 12 December 2004 at the age of 83. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried in the village of his birth, Dooru Shahabad in Kashmir. His funeral was attended by thousands without incident. He was posthumously 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 ...

, India's third highest civilian award by Indian President

APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and raised in a Muslim family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Kala ...

in 2005.

References

External links

*http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041214/j&k.htm#5 1921 births 2004 deaths Indian National Congress politicians from Jammu and Kashmir People from Anantnag district Kashmiri politicians Chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in public affairs Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1967–1972 Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1972–1977 Indian autobiographers Rajya Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir {{JammuKashmir-INC-politician-stub