SRINAGAR: Mohammad Anwar Ashai, a distinguished engineer and prominent civil society activist from Srinagar, passed away at his residence on Tuesday. Ashai, a member of the esteemed Ashai family of downtown Srinagar, was recognised for his extensive public engagement, intellectual pursuits, and dedication to the social and developmental issues of Kashmir.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the Kashmir Centre for Social and Development Studies (KCSDS), an organisation with which Ashai maintained close ties, has mourned his passing. He was described by the KCSDS as a valued colleague and an active contributor to the organisation’s discussions, seminars, round-table conferences, and public forums.
Mohammad Anwar Ashai was the son of Khwaja Ghulam Ahmad Ashai, a notable educationist and political activist credited as a pioneering figure in the educational and political awakening among Kashmiri Muslims. Khwaja Ghulam Ahmad Ashai was among the early highly educated Muslims of his generation in Kashmir. After excelling in his matriculation examinations, he pursued higher education and subsequently became the first Registrar of the University of Jammu and Kashmir.
Furthermore, Khwaja Ghulam Ahmad Ashai was a founding member of the historic Reading Room Party. This organisation played a significant role in the political awakening of Kashmiri Muslims and contributed to the eventual establishment of the Muslim Conference, which was Kashmir’s first major organised Muslim political platform.
The Ashai family possesses a deep-rooted connection with Kashmir’s social, literary, and commercial heritage. Its lineage is traced back to Mukhtar Shah Ashai, remembered as a prominent shawl merchant integral to Kashmir’s renowned shawl trade and as a patron of religious shrines in Srinagar. The family also acknowledges its ancestry to Mulla Tahir Ghani Kashmiri, a celebrated 17th-century Persian poet whose literary contributions are highly regarded within the Persian literary tradition.
Carrying forward this legacy of intellectual engagement and public service, Anwar Ashai’s involvement in public affairs commenced during his formative student years. He was an active participant in the political and social movements of his era and experienced incarceration. Notably, he continued his academic pursuits while imprisoned, successfully completing his engineering studies.
Ashai’s engagement with society extended significantly beyond his professional capacity as an engineer. From his adolescence until the final years of his life, he maintained a profound interest in public affairs. He was widely recognised among his contemporaries as a well-read, articulate, and socially conscious individual, possessing a particular focus on Kashmir’s history, politics, education, and current challenges.
His affiliation with KCSDS provided him a consistent platform for this engagement. He actively participated in deliberations and contributed to seminars and public forums that addressed a spectrum of issues. These included environmental protection, education, healthcare, social reform, and broader questions pertaining to the development and well-being of Jammu and Kashmir.
Friends and colleagues fondly recalled Ashai as a dignified, warm, and engaging personality. His conversations were characterised by extensive reading and a profound understanding of Kashmir’s history and societal dynamics. He championed informed public discourse and consistently demonstrated a willingness to participate in discussions on matters of significant public importance.
Members and associates of KCSDS highlighted that his contributions to civil society were marked by a persistent concern for Kashmir’s social, educational, and developmental challenges. His passing, they stated, has created a void not only within his family and among his friends but also within the broader civil society community.
Hundreds of individuals from diverse backgrounds attended his funeral prayers, which were led by prominent Islamic scholar Moulana Showkat Hussain Keng. His remains were subsequently interred at the family’s ancestral graveyard located at Ashai Kocha, Fateh Kadal, Srinagar.
According to family sources, the congregational Fateha Khawani is scheduled to be held at the ancestral graveyard at 2:30 pm on Friday, August 14.
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