Srinagar, Sept. 17 -- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that he was saddened by the demise of senior Kashmiri political leader, academician and former Hurriyat chairman Professor Abdul Gani Bhat. The Chief Minister added that he would always remember him as a "very civil person" even though their "political ideologies were poles apart".

"I'm saddened to hear about the demise of senior Kashmiri political leader & academician Professor Abdul Gani Bhat Sb. Our political ideologies were poles apart, but I will always remember him as a very civil person," Abdullah said in a post on X.

"He had the courage to espouse the cause of dialogue when many believed violence was the only way forward and this resulted in him meeting ...