7 october 2024 : Prominent Pahadi leader and BJP candidate Mushtaq Bukhari, who passed away on October 2, is trailing in the Surankot assembly election, with Independent candidate Choudhary Mohammed Akram currently leading.
Bukhari, 75, died after collapsing at his home in Pamrote village, located in the border district of Poonch. He was a two-time MLA from Surankot and had been fielded by the BJP for this assembly seat reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates.
During his campaign, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh had likened Bukhari to Mahatma Gandhi and former South African President Nelson Mandela, praising his role in securing ‘freedom’ for the Pahari community in Jammu and Kashmir.
After nearly 40 years with the National Conference, Bukhari parted ways with the party in February 2022 over a disagreement with Farooq Abdullah regarding Scheduled Tribe status for the Pahari community. He then joined the BJP in February 2023, fulfilling his pledge to support the party that would grant ST status to the Pahari people.
Bukhari was also a highly respected spiritual figure, known as “Peer Sahab” within the Muslim community, and held considerable influence among the Pahari people, who number around 1.25 million across Rajouri, Poonch, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts.
Ahead of the second phase of J&K elections on September 25, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had held a rally in Surankote to support Bukhari. Shah recalled his meeting with Bukhari in Delhi, where Bukhari had expressed his gratitude for Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for the Pahari community’s ST reservation.
