J&K BJP leader and ex-MLA Faqir Mohammad Khan shoots himself dead

BJP leader and former independent MLA Faqir Mohammad Khan from Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez reportedly took his own life by "shooting himself dead," on Thursday, according to party officials.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur confirmed that the 62-year-old BJP leader died by suicide inside the Tulsibagh government quarters in Srinagar. The reasons behind his tragic decision remain unclear.
Earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly expressed condolences on the passing of the BJP leader from Gurez.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah announced the news in the Assembly, following which the House observed a two-minute silence to pay tribute to the departed soul.
"Deeply saddened by the passing of former legislator Faqeer Mohd Khan. He was a true grassroots leader. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace. The House observed a two-minute silence in his honour," the J-K chief minister said in a post on X.
J-K assembly speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, opposition leader Sunil Sharma and National Conference member Nazir Gurezi also expressed their sympathies over Khan's passing.
Khan, who was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly as an Independent candidate in 1996, joined the BJP in 2020 and unsuccessfully contested last year's assembly elections on the party's ticket.
(With inputs from PTI)