Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and a prominent advocate of the Kashmir cause on the international stage, died in Islamabad after a prolonged illness. He was 71.
His funeral prayers will be offered on Sunday at 3:00 pm in his native village of Chechian, Mirpur.
Born on August 9, 1955, in Chechian, Mirpur, Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry received his early education in his hometown, completed matriculation in Rawalpindi, and graduated from Gordon College.
He later earned a Bar-at-Law degree from the United Kingdom.
After returning to Pakistan in 1983, he entered active politics and went on to play a central role in Azad Kashmir’s political landscape for decades.
He served as Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well as Leader of the Opposition, and was elected nine times as a member of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Mirpur.
Over his long political career, he remained affiliated with several major political parties, including the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Azad Kashmir.
He was elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2021.
Chaudhry was widely known for forcefully raising the Kashmir issue at international forums.
He presented the Kashmiri case at the United Nations, the European Union and various institutions in the United States, and led large-scale Kashmir marches in London, New York, Brussels, Dublin and Berlin.
He also undertook a historic visit to Indian-administered Kashmir, addressing a gathering at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, and held meetings with senior Hurriyat leaders, including Syed Ali Gilani and Yasin Malik.
Regarded as a bold and influential voice on Kashmir, Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry enjoyed widespread popularity across Azad Kashmir and remained a key figure in the region’s politics until his death.
