Islamabad/London: Renowned Kashmiri freedom leader Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl, who was residing in the UK, has passed away in London with the dream of freedom in his eyes.
Professor Nazir Shawl was 77 years old. He had been ill for the past two months and was undergoing treatment at a hospital in London.
According to reports, he had a liver and respiratory disease which led to his deteriorating health and he passed away today.
Professor Shawl had dedicated his entire life to the Kashmir freedom movement. He continued to provide political and diplomatic services throughout his life in the struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination for Kashmiris.
Frustrated by Indian atrocities, he migrated from occupied Kashmir to Pakistan in 1991 and then went to London in 2004 to highlight Indian injustices against the Kashmiri people at the international level, where he headed the Kashmir Centre in London.
He also represented freedom leader Syed Ali Geelani in the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Kashmir Branch. He was a senior freedom leader with a connection to both Indian-administered Kashmir and a well-versed advocate for human rights, a poet, writer, journalist, columnist, and educationist, with expertise in English, Urdu, and the Kashmiri language.
Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl was also the author of several books and served as the chief editor of the Kashmir Mirror, Sina News, New York, and the executive director of the Kashmir Centre, UK.
He received a master’s degree from Kashmir University and later in education from Himachal Pradesh University. He began his professional career at St. Joseph’s Institute, Barhamula, and then later joined the education department as a professor. Professor Shawl raised awareness about human rights in various occupied regions, including occupied Kashmir.
Professor Shawl was also the chairman of the Think Tank South Asia Center for Peace and Human Rights. His works include “Speaking Silence, Weeping Words, and Tormented Past and Breached Present”.