Former AJK president Sardar Sikandar dies

ISLAMABAD: Former president and prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan has passed away, his family said on Saturday.

Sardar Sikandar was reportedly hospitalised and under treatment for a heart ailment. He holds the distinction of being appointed AJK's president and also serving as the prime minister twice.

Earlier this year Sardar Sikandar, after more than a decade, had ended his association with the PMLN and rejoined the Muslim Conference (MC). Sardar Sikandar was among the pioneers of the PMLN in Kashmir. Responding to his death, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry expressed grief, noting that Sardar Sikandar had raised his voice against Indian oppression in occupied Kashmir. He was a righteous and principled politician, the information minister added in a statement.