Qazi Ashraf, 55, has a full resume: successful cancer surgeon, researcher, and author of five books, including Molecular aspects of breast cancer, which became a point of discussion in global medical circles in 2012-2013. Now, he can add a new achievement to that illustrious list: Lok Sabha candidate for the Srinagar constituency.
In a place where joining politics has been a brave and tough decision over the past three decades, Dr. Ashraf, known for performing complex surgical interventions at Srinagar’s Medicare Hospital, sees Kashmir’s volatile circumstances pushing him onto the electoral stage for a course correction. He describes these elections “as a turning point that will set a new course of history for Jammu and Kashmir”.
“I have grown up in turmoil. I am witness to a political system which is in disarray and degradation. Unfortunately, those who should come forward for political decision making are not doing so. I decided to take a plunge to ensure the future generation does not suffer the way we did. I want to secure the future for our children,” Mr. Ashraf, a resident of Srinagar, told The Hindu.
