Veteran Kashmiri intellectual Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam passes away

ISLAMABAD: Veteran Kashmiri intellectual, journalist and close aide of Syed Ali Geelani late, Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam has passed away at 67 in Islamabad, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam late was the Executive Director of Kashmir Media Service (KMS) and a champion of the Kashmir cause. He had been admitted to a hospital in Islamabad for the past over a month after his health worsened and breathed his last on Sunday night.

He left behind his widow and a daughter.

According to Kashmir Media Service (KMS), Islam belonged to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He did his LLB from Kashmir University, Srinagar, in 1975 and M.A Urdu from the same university in 1980. During his student life, he worked as Nazim-e-Aala (president) of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba in IIOJK from 1979 to 1984.

Credited with institutionalising journalism, he worked as Chief Editor Daily Azaan and Editor of several newspapers, weekly and fortnightly magazines in IIOJK from 1973 to 1980. At the same time, he contributed a lot to the Kashmir movement. He practised law in Srinagar from 1975-1984.

Over his decades’ career, Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam remained an advocate of Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as acknowledged by the United Nations.

After migration to Pakistan, Shaikh Tajammul-ul-Islam worked with the News Section of PTV from 1998 to 1999. He headed the Institute of Kashmir Affairs from 1992 to 2000. Later, he joined Kashmir Media Service as Executive Director in 1999 and remained associated with it till his last breath. He was also Chief Editor of Kashmir Insight magazine.

Shaikh Tajammul participated in various conferences and seminars on Kashmir at the international level and in Pakistan and delivered speeches and wrote articles and analyses in English and Urdu on Kashmir.

He always supported a resolution of the Kashmir dispute based on justice. He was highly respected in journalistic circles for his integrity and intellectual acumen.