Srinagar: Bhushan Bazaz, a progressive Kashmiri Pandit thinker and a strong votary of interfaith reconciliation and Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir passed away in New Delhi at the age of 91 years on Monday (January 12).Bhushan Bazaz who lived in south Delhi’s Hauz Khas area along with his wife and son is believed to have been keeping unwell for some time. His eldest son, Gaurav Bazaz, was shot dead in Canada’s Toronto in 2004.The demise of Bhushan Bazaz was condoled in Jammu and Kashmir by the chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra and others. Mirwaiz who shared on X an undated photo described Bazaz as “true upholder of Kashmiri ethics”. Born in 1935, Bhushan Bazaz was one of the nine children fathered by the eminent Kashmiri Pandit writer, historian and politician Prem Nath Bazaz, a close confidante of Sheikh Abdullah and one of the founding members of the ruling National Conference. The ruling party which sent the Bazaz family into exile in Delhi allegedly for becoming an impediment in the political ambitions of Sheikh after the events of the 1947 partition of the subcontinent didn’t issue any statement on Monday following the demise. Bhushan Bazaz grew up under the shadow of his father’s political philosophy who advocated a new form of politics in Kashmir embodied in his six books and other writings which made him an outcast in his own community. Following in the footsteps of his father, the younger Bhushan Bazaz emerged as a rare voice of sanity whose thoughts and words echoed the wider sentiment in Kashmir for peace and reconciliation.Bhushan Bazaz, who was a strong advocate of cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan for trust-building, didn’t mince words when it came to calling out the acts of aggression committed on the people of Kashmir. In 2001, amid growing bonhomie between India and Pakistan, he was the only Kashmiri Pandit to figure on the list of invitees prepared by the Pakistan high commissioner in Delhi to welcome the country’s military dictator and President General Pervez Musharraf to India.In a five-minute meeting with Musharraf which was held over fish cutlets and finger chips, Bhushan Bazaz told the general that militants had targeted Kashmiri Pandits when the armed insurgency broke out in the valley in the early 1990s due to which there were “hardly any Pandits left in the Valley”.He also presented a copy of his father’s book The History of Struggle for Freedom in Kashmir to Musharraf during the meeting.According to a report in The Indian Express, Bhushan Bazaz “regularly raised concern over human rights violations and alleged fake encounters” which earned him widespread respect in Kashmir particularly within the separatist leadership circles. He was also the chief of Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Forum, a civil society group founded by his father which also advocated for Kashmiriyat and the resolution of Kashmir problem. “As the founder of the JKDF, he articulated a vision rooted in democratic values, non-violence and inclusive engagement, and was known for his thoughtful interventions on issues related to society, identity and coexistence in the region,” a Srinagar-based newspaper reported. Condoling the passing of Bhushan Bazaz, Mirwaiz said in a post on X: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Pandit Bhushan Bazaz, son of legendary Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz. A dear friend of my father, Bhushan Uncle was a father-like presence in my life. A true upholder of Kashmiri ethics, his sincere love, warmth, and affection will always stay with me. His passing is a great personal loss to me and the family. My deepest Condolences to his son Kalhan and the Bazaz family”. Deeply saddened by the passing of Pandit Bhushan Bazaz, son of legendary Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz. A dear friend of my father, Bhushan Uncle was a father-like presence in my life. A true upholder of Kashmiri ethics, his sincere love, warmth, and affection will always stay with me.… pic.twitter.com/rZpwHdTc9x— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) January 12, 2026J&K Congress chief Karra said that he was “deeply pained” by the demise of Bhushan Bhushan, describing him as a family friend who came to his home whenever he visited Kashmir.“I had the privilege of sitting and sharing thoughts with his legendary father Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz. He had the dream of establishing a library of books and articles written by his father, but for certain sensitivities he could not fulfil his dream,” Karra said. Former mayor of Srinagar Junaid Mattu said that Kashmir has lost a proud son in Bhushan Bazaz whose life was guided by the “ideals of harmony, justice and secularism”.In Pandit Bhushan Bazaz’s demise, Kashmir has lost a proud son, whose heart, like that of his father, belonged to Kashmir and whose life was guided by the ideals of harmony, justice and secularism.Pandit Bhushan Bazaz’s father, the great Pandit Prem Nath Bazaz was my… pic.twitter.com/z6DJ6zim5z— Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) January 12, 2026