Dara Shikoh Mughal garden in home town Bijbehara to be Mufti Sayeed's last resting place

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and patron of ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who died in a Delhi hospital early Thursday will be buried in Dara Shikoh Garden in home town Bijbehara, 45 km south of here, in the evening. Earlier reports had suggested that he would be laid to rest in his ancestral mazaar or cemetery in the town’s Baba mohalla.

 

The Mughal garden laid by Dara Shikoh, eldest son of Emperor Shah Jehan, in early 17th century is situated on a side of  Bijbehara-Pahalgam road on the banks of river Jhelum and  has avenues of Chinar and cypress trees.

 

His mortal remains earlier arrived at the Chief Minister’s official residence ‘Fairview’ at Gupkar overlooking the Dal Lake in Srinagar where ‘Ghusl Mayyit (washing the dead body) and shrouding it were done. His nimaz-e-jinaza is likely to be offered within the ‘Fairview’ premises or a furlong away at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium before the mortal remains are taken to Bijbehara.

 

Besides Sayeed’s daughter and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, wife Gulshan Nazir Aara and some other family members, Opposition National Conference president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad accompanied the body flown in an IAF plane from Delhi. They were soon joined by Governor N.N.Vora and a battery of politicians from different mainstream political parties besides ministers in the PDP-BJP coalition government.

 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also reached ‘Fairview’ to condole the demise Sayeed’s demise. He is accompanied by MoS in PMO, Dr Jitender Singh and senior Army commanders.