Srinagar- Dr Javid Iqbal, a noted physician, scholar, writer and former president of the Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Council, passed away in Srinagar on Thursday after a prolonged illness. He was 80.
Widely regarded as one of Kashmir’s prominent intellectual voices, Dr Iqbal left behind a rich legacy spanning medicine, literature, scholarship and public discourse. Over several decades, he earned recognition not only as a medical practitioner but also as a prolific columnist, author and public intellectual whose writings engaged with social, cultural, political and literary issues.
Born in Srinagar on January 30, 1946, Dr Iqbal was the son of renowned educationist Prof. Saif-ud-Din. He completed his MBBS from Government Medical College Srinagar in 1969 and went on to serve in the medical profession in Kashmir, Iran and Libya. Colleagues and family members remember him as a physician who viewed medicine as a service to humanity rather than merely a profession.
After returning to Kashmir, Dr Iqbal increasingly devoted himself to writing and scholarship. Fluent in Kashmiri, Urdu, Persian, Arabic and English, he developed expertise in Iqbaliyat, Persian literature, Islamic civilization and Kashmiri society. Through books, lectures and hundreds of newspaper columns, he sought to foster informed public debate and intellectual engagement.
He regularly contributed articles to leading newspapers where his writings on contemporary affairs, culture, literature and society earned a wide readership.
Dr Iqbal also served as president of the Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Council for three years. During his tenure, the council organised several literary, academic and cultural programmes aimed at promoting Urdu language and literature in the region.
Family members said he had been battling cancer for nearly two years and was responding to treatment before his health deteriorated suddenly earlier this week. He was admitted to Paras Hospital on Wednesday night and passed away on Thursday.
He is survived by his wife, son Wajahat, daughter Romana, son-in-law, and brothers Zaffar Saif and Suhail. His son is settled in Canada, while his daughter is based in the United Kingdom.
The Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Council, writers, academics, journalists and civil society members expressed grief over his demise, describing his death as a significant loss to Kashmir’s literary, intellectual and academic landscape.
Funeral prayers were held on Thursday evening, after which he was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Magarmal Bagh.
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