Dr. Mustafa Kamal, the Abdullah who rooted for J&K’s pre-1953 position, dies in Srinagar

Supporting J&K’s pre-1953 position, Abdullah (84) Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal passed away in Srinagar on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, after a short period of illness. National Conference (NC) president Dr. He was the younger brother of Farooq Abdullah and uncle of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The National Conference (NC) spokesperson announced that Kamal, who was being treated in a private hospital in Srinagar, passed away.

Mr. Abdullah said in a post on

Kamal was one of the few voices in the NC who supported the return of the pre-1953 position to Jammu and Kashmir and would accuse the Congress of stirring up the Kashmir issue by arresting his father and party founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah in 1953, calling it a “black day”.

Family members and mourners carry the remains of senior National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir minister Sheikh Mustafa Kamal during his funeral in Srinagar | Photo Credit: PTI

Within the party, Kamal suggested restoring the pre-1953 attitude as “the only remedy within the constitutional framework to end decades of uncertainty and turmoil” in J&K. He blamed the 1989 militant insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir on New Delhi’s “unilateral and unconstitutional erosion of J&K’s special status” since 1953.

“The 1952 Delhi Agreement and Article 370 of the Constitution, based on the Instrument of Accession of late Maharaja Hari Singh, were the basis of J&K’s relationship with the Centre. But titles like Sadr-e-Riyasat and Wazir Azam were gradually abolished,” he said in one of his interviews. He described the pre-1953 situation as one in which “all rights, except communications, foreign relations and defence, would be in the hands of the people of Kashmir.”

With Kemal’s death, the enthusiastic voice within the Abdullahs fades away. In his early life, Kamal served as a general physician in the Tangmarg district in north Kashmir, where his mother is from, and also served as a minister twice. He later served as additional general secretary of NC. Old-style politician Kamal also sparked a lot of controversy with his fiery and bold statements. He angered the Army with his frequent opposition to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in J&K.

Kamal’s ‘Asteen Ka Saanp’ remarks against the Congress forced the Makhan Lal Fotedar NC to distance itself from the Congress. During Kamal’s tenure as NC spokesperson, his relationship with coalition partner Congress weakened when he also attacked Rahul Gandhi in 2012, which led to NC dropping him as party spokesperson.

“Dr. Kamal Sahib devoted decades of his life to public service and strengthening the ideals and legacy of NC. His demise is an irreparable loss not only to the NC family but also to the people of J&K, who will always remember his contributions with gratitude and respect,” an NC spokesperson said.

J&K regional parties also expressed their condolences on the death of the widely respected politician, including the Opposition People’s Democratic Party. Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he was “saddened to hear about the death of the veteran politician”. “My deepest condolences to Dr. Farooq Abdullah Sahib, Omar Abdullah Sahib and all members of the bereaved family,” he added.