Islamabad, July 7: A revered religious figure of South Kashmir, Peer Rafiq Ahmad, passed away after a speedy vehicle hit him at Mattan early this morning in this South Kashmir district.
Thousands of people, including many politicians, thronged his native place Aishmuqam, to pay tributes and participate in the Jinaza.
Reports said that Peer Rafiq Ahmad, who also happens to be the nephew of former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, was hit by a speeding vehicle resulting in his on the spot death. “It was a case of hit and run. The driver after hitting him fled the scene,” said a resident of the Mattan area.
Peer Rafiq Ahmad, aged 50 who was earlier a teacher by profession had a huge following particularly in south Kashmir. He is survived by two sons and two daughters while his wife had died a long time back.
“He was a Darvesh who had little to do with the worldly affairs. Almost all of his time was devoted to prayers and the upliftment of the poor and the marginalized,” said one of his relatives.
Reports further said that thousands of people joined the procession that took the body from Mattan to Aishmuqam for burial, “He was buried at his ancestral graveyard near the shrine of the revered Sufi saint Zainuddin Wali (RA),” said a relative of the deceased.
According to the locals the Namaaz-e-Jinaazah was attended by nearly 50,000 people that included Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, Tariq Hameed Karra, Abdul Rehman Veeri and many other PDP leaders.
Meanwhile, a condolence meet was held at the PDP headquarters here under the chairmanship of the party General Secretary, Dillawar Mir. The meet was attended by all the senior leaders of the party.
Calling it an irreparable loss, the condolence message of the party read, “Peer Sahab has always worked for the betterment of the society and his sad demise has created a void that is very hard to fill,”
The party leaders extended their condolences to the bereaved family as well as the followers of the deceased.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST