Mufti's body flown to Srinagar, to be cremated in ancestral village
According to reports, he is likely be buried in his ancestral village Bijbehera in South Kashmir, about 48 kms from Srinagar.
Sayeed, 79, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday morning following a lung infection.
He was flown from Srinagar in a special plane on December 24 and admitted to the AIIMS where he was diagnosed with sepsis and pneumonia.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has declared a seven-day mourning and holiday on Thursday. Flags will be flown at half mast. In view of the demise of the Chief Minister, all the exams of Kashmir university have been postponed. The Central University of Kashmir exams along with board exams scheduled for Thursday have also been postponed.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be flying to Srinagar to attend Sayeed's funeral. He is the second J&K Chief Minister to die in office, the first one being Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who died on September 8, 1982.
Sayeed's daughter, 56-year-old Mehbooba is expected to take over as the first woman Chief Minister of the state with PDP leaders throwing their weight behind her. But this will require the approval of BJP.
Sayeed took charge of the state on March 1, 2015 to head a PDP-BJP alliance. Sayeed is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.
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