Abdul Aziz Zargar

Early life Zargar was born in Manzgam village of Kulgam district the then part of Anantnag district of princely state Jammu and Kashmir, British India. His education and personal life is not widely documented.

Career Zargar was initially associated with the political movement (Quit Kashmir movement) led by Sheikh Abdullah and participated in the 1931 Kashmir agitation during the pre-1953 period. Following Abdullah's dismissal and arrest in 1953, he joined Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad and continued in active politics through the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He was elected to the legislative assembly from the Devsar constituency in 1957 and was re-elected from the same constituency in 1962. Zargar served as a legislator for more than 29 years and held ministerial office for around two decades.

Following the decline of the Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad government, Zargar joined Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq and joined the Indian National Congress. He was subsequently elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the Noorabad constituency in 1967, 1972 and 1987.

Zargar joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2000 and was elected from the Noorabad constituency in the 2002 assembly election. He lost the Noorabad seat to National Conference candidate Sakina Itoo in the 2008 assembly elections, marking an end of his political career. The allegations drew significant political attention and prompted calls for his removal from the cabinet.

Zargar denied any involvement or knowledge of the accused persons' activities, maintaining that he had not occupied the property in question for several years prior to the incident. No formal charges were brought against him in connection with the case.