A giant of activist in Kashmir's turbulent history. Dr Thakur believed that the aspirations of the Kashmiri people must be ascertained under the United Nations Security Council resolutions. He was exiled from Kashmir in 1981. Dr Thakur achieved legendary status in organising conferences under the aegis of the World Kashmir Freedom Movement (WKFM), founded in 1990 of which he was the president, at Washington DC (1991), at Istanbul (1993) and at Leicester, Britain (1996). He lectured on Kashmir in every esteemed forum, including the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and the UN Commission on Human Rights. Dr Thakur founded Mercy Universal, a UK-based charity, in 2000, for humanitarian work for the poor, sick and needy. He also established, in 2003, Justice Foundation to advance the Kashmir cause through public advocacy. Ayyub Thakur died in London.