Former Union Minister of state for home affairs dead

Srinagar, Apr 17 (UNI) Former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mohammad Maqbool Dar died in south Kashmir late last night in the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) at Soura.

Dar (66) is survived by his wife, three daughters and three sons.

He will be laid to rest in the afternoon.

Mr Dar become the Union Minister of state in the Deva Gowda ministry after he won from Anantnag-Pulwama parliamentary constituency as a Janata Dal candidate in 1996.

According to his family sources, Mr Dar was critically injured after he fell down in his home three days ago.

He was immediately shifted to SKIMS where he was operated upon by the doctors.

However, he breathed his last at 2130 hrs, the sources said.

Mr Dar first won from Shangus assembly constituency as an independent candidate in 1983 after he defeated a National Conference (NC) rival.

He won from the Anantnag-Pulwama parliamentary seat on Janata Dal ticket when almost all major political parties stayed away from the polls. However, after the Mufti Mohammad Sayed formed his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Dar joined the Congress.

Leaders of several political parties and social organisations expressed their condolence on the death of Dar.

UNI BAS PD HS1343