‘Noorani will be remembered as friend of Kashmir’

Srinagar, Aug 30: Legal experts in Kashmir Friday termed former A G Noorani, who passed away in Mumbai on Thursday a jurist, a genius prolific writer, constitutional expert, and commentator who would always be remembered as a friend of the people of Kashmir.

“He was a great jurist. He did commendable work writing volumes on the genesis of Article 370, and its emergence and misuse as well.

He commendably blended legal and political aspects of the issues in his books,” senior advocate and legal expert Zaffar Shah said.

Shah said Noorani had shown keen interest in the affairs of J&K and was a frequent visitor to make on-spot assessments through discussions with stakeholders.

“He will be remembered as a friend of the people of Kashmir,” he said.

Syed Tassaduq Hussain said: “The entire Indian subcontinent cannot ignore the tremendous and stupendous contribution made by extraordinary genius A G Noorani who with his immense insights provided a much-needed succour to the moderate Indian intellectual class.”

“His standpoint on Kashmir was clear, honest, and a reflection of reality. His books are a treasure trove of wisdom. He was an ocean of knowledge and a great researcher who was always honest to goodness,” Hussain said. “Quest for finding truth made Noorani an outstanding political thinker. He was known for his contributions to fields, like law, history, and political science.”

Hussain said Noorani was personally kind to him and offered him apt advice on issues whenever he contacted him telephonically.

Advocate Reyaz Khawar harbours about Noorani an opinion which attests to his acknowledged height as a constitutional and political commentator.

“A G Noorani was a very brilliant, honest, fearless constitutional and political commentator. His books on constitutional law are being referred before the Supreme Court of India and have been referred to in the past also,” Advocate Khawar said.

Khawar said Noorani had been writing extensively on the constitutional and legal issues regarding Kashmir and about the accession of Jammu and Kashmir with India.

“He has written columns in national and international press. He was a contemporary and close associate of Khushwant Singh and Kuldeep Nayyar. He was teaching in different national and international universities,” Khawar said. “A great void has been created by his demise.”