Srinagar, Feb 22: National Conference leader and Deputy Advocate General, Ghulam Mustafa Bhat who was sworn in as the first Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation in 2005 passed away Tuesday. He was 50.
 Bhat  who was also the Deputy Advocate General  had been battling for life at SKIMS, Soura for the past few days.
 A lawyer by profession, Bhat remained Mayor of SMC for two years and was appointed as the deputy Advocate General by the state government last year.
 Expressing grief over the demise, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed sympathy with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.
 National Conference president and Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and other NC leaders including Ali Muhammad Sagar, Mubarak Gul, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad, Dr Mustafa Kamal, Irfan Ahmad Shah and Nasir Sogami, have also expressed deep sorrow over the demise, terming it a great loss to the state and the party.
 Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, while expressing deep shock and sorrow over the demise, expressed deep sympathy and solidarity with the bereaved family in this event of grief.
 The employees of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, at a condolence meeting held here today with the SMC Commissioner Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad in chair, expressed deep shock and sorrow over the demise.

SALMAN SAGAR SHOCKED
 Meanwhile, former Mayor and Mustafa’s successor at the SMC chair, Salman Ali Sagar expressed deep shock over his demise. Salman who immediately flew to Srinagar to express condolences on hearing about the demise of his colleague, termed Bhat as a “legal luminary and visionary”.
 “Bhat Sahib was more then a colleague. Being senior and predecessor, he happened to a friend, philosopher and guide to me,” Sagar hailed.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 IST