Ghulam Mohammad Shah or G. M. Shah or Gul Shah (20 July 1920 – 6 January 2009) was an Indian politician who was

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2 July 1984 to 6 March 1986. He succeeded his brother-in-law

Farooq Abdullah Farooq Abdullah (born 21 October 1937) is an Indian politician who was Ex. President of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982, and as the union minister f ...

. Shah's father-in-law was Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the founder of the

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in the Indian union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Founded as the ''All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference'' by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Ab ...

, of which Shah was once a senior member. Shah died on 6 January 2009 at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

. He was 88.

Early life

Ghulam Mohammad Shah was born in Srinagar (Kashmir) on 20 July 1920. He completed his bachelor's degree from Punjab University. Later, he pursued a degree in Law from

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

. He also got Fellowship from London School of Economics in the field of Agriculture Economics under the United Nations Fellowship Programme. He joined National Conference in 1944. Right at the inception of his political career, he was detained several times in his struggle for people's rights. Shah was also the eldest son-in-law of former Chief Minister of the State, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, brother-in-law of Dr Farooq Abdullah and uncle of the former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.

Career

After the formation of popular Government in 1947, Shah was appointed as Controller of Supplies and Prices, a post he held till 1953. After extended incarceration of nearly eight years and following the 1975 Indira-Abdullah Accord, Shah was inducted as a Minister of State in the Government. Shah is also known for masterminding the National Conference campaign in the 1977 elections, which the party won. He was later sworn in as a cabinet minister and held portfolios of Transport, Food & Supplies, Trade Agencies, Estate Works, and Power. Shah became

by toppling the government of his brother-in-law

in 1984. He defected from National Conference along with 12 party MLAs on 2 July 1984 bringing down the government of Farooq Abdullah, a move that created a bitter rift between the two families. Shah joined hands with the 26-member

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

legislature party and became

. However, his government was dismissed on 12 March 1986, by the then

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jagmohan Jagmohan Malhotra (25 September 1927 – 3 May 2021), known by the mononym Jagmohan, was an Indian civil servant and politician. After working with the Indian National Congress, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1995. He served as Lieute ...

following the communal

1986 Anantnag Riots The 1986 Kashmir Riots, also commonly referred to as the 1986 Anantnag Riots, were a series of attacks targeting Kashmiri Hindus in the Kashmir region of the then Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag district. Backgr ...

in south Kashmir. Shah had formed a new party, Awami National Conference which also participated in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Elections 2008. He is survived by his wife, Begum Khalida Shah, two sons Muzaffar Ahmad Shah and a daughter.

References

External links

BiographyG. M. Shah Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Ghulam Mohammad 1920 births 2009 deaths Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Indian Muslims Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians Kashmiri people