Yashpal Sharma, a prominent PDP leader and former member of the legislative council, died early Sunday at his home in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district after suffering a heart attack, officials said.
The 76-year-old Sharma complained of uneasiness around 2 am and his sugar level dropped alarmingly before he suffered the heart attack, the officials said quoting family sources. He is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters.
Sharma, considered a close confidant of PDP founder and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was named as a member of the powerful political affairs committee of the PDP by party president Mehbooba Mufti in March last year.
Paying tributes to its deceased, the PDP said that in his demise, the party has lost a “towering personality, great mobiliser and a loyal and experienced leader”.
Known for his eloquence and connect with masses, the party said Sharma was often referred to as ‘Sher-e-Poonch' (lion of Poonch).
