Qazi Mohammad Afzal

Qazi Mohammad Afzal was an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir, belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 2002 to 2008. He gained prominence for his victory over Omar Abdullah, the president of the National Conference (NC), in the Ganderbal Assembly constituency during the 2002 assembly elections. He was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He was appointed as a cabinet minister in the PDP-Congress coalition government led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He served as the Forest Minister from 2002 to 2008, contributing to governance and policy-making in the state.

During his tenure as Forest Minister, Afzal was at the center of a controversial decision. In 2008, he issued the Amarnath land order, which led to protests in the Valley and intensified tensions between the Jammu and Kashmir regions. He resigned from the cabinet in September 2007 after being accused of corruption and subsequently losing the forest portfolio.

He contested as a PDP candidate but he could not win in both the 2008 and 2014 elections. He passed away on March 1, 2019, in Srinagar.