Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg

Who is Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg?

Mirza Mohammad Afzal Bég was a Kashmiri politician and lieutenant of the late Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah. He was also the president of the Plebiscite Front and was arrested as one of the accused in Kashmir Conspiracy Case. In later years, he was Sheikh Abdullah's representative in talks with the Indian government in 1974, inking the 1974 Indira-Sheikh accord. Afzal Bég hailed from Anantnag and was the nephew of the landlord, Mirza Ghulam Mohammad Bég, of Anantnag. He died on 11 June 1982. He was popularly known as 'fakhr-e-Kashmir' and was the architect of the legendary 'land to the landless tiller' legislation which uplifted the masses of J&K. His legal acumen and genius was admired by friends and foes. He was also known as the brain behind Sheikh Abdullah. His legal acumen was lauded by the imminent legal luminary G.S.Pathak who later became the Vice President of India, who proclaimed "Beg Sahab, you come out of politics and be a permanent part of the legal profession, you can be a jewel of any Bar". He was immensely popular amongst his people and was perceived as the successor to Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah.