Darakhshan Andrabi Age, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	Kounsar Jan
Full Name	Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi
Profession	Politician
Known for	Being chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board
Physical Stats
Eye Colour	Light Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Political Journey	• In 1993: Entered politics and founded the Socialist Democratic Party (SDP) • In 2004: Contested the Lok Sabha election from Srinagar as an SDP candidate • In 2014: Merged SDP with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election from Sonawar, but lost • In 2021: Joined the BJP National Executive • In 2022: Became chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board and received the rank of Minister of State
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• Sahir Ludhianvi Award (2002) from Sahir Academy, Punjab, and Chandrabhaga Samman for excellence in journalism • Vijay Samman (2004) from the Ministry of Defence and Shair-e-Wattab Award from All India Hindi-Urdu Sangam • Rajbhasha Samman (2005) from All India Radio • Tathagat Sahitya Samman Award (2017) for her literary contributions • Jammu and Kashmir State Award (2018) in the field of literature for her work as an Urdu and Kashmiri poet • India Inspirational Women Award (2020) in the Social Service category • Human Rights Nobel Award (2021), naming her the Most Inspiring Women of the Year (2021) • Certificate of Honour (2025) from Global Book of Excellence Records for her work as chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board • Lal Ded National Award (2026) for her contribution to social service, women's empowerment, and public outreach • Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Aalam Award (2026) from Kashmir Markaz-e-Adab-wa-Saqafat for her contribution to Kashmir's Rishi-Sufi-heritage and development of religious shrines
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 1974
Age (as of 2026)	52 Years
Birthplace	Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
College/University	• University of Kashmir, Srinagar • Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
Educational Qualification(s)	• A Master's degree in Urdeu from University of Kashmir • A Doctor of Philosophy in Urdu Language (2008) from Guru Nanak Dev University
Religion	Islam
Hobbies	Reading, Writing, Listening Music
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- Syed Ghulam Nabi Andrabi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Darakhshan Andrabi

• Darakhshan Andrabi was born and raised in Jammu and Kashmir. Her family originally came from Lakdhipora villahe in South Kashmir’s Kulgan district. Her father, Ghulam Nabi Shah later moved to Sri Nagar.

• In 1999, she began her professional career and produced Khoon Kay Ansoo, an anti-military television serial for Doorsdarshan Kashmir.

• Later she served as editor of Sheeraza, an Urdu magazine published by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.

• In 2002, she received the Sahir Ludhianvi Award and Chandrabhaga Samman for her literary and journalistic contributions. She also represented Jammu and Kashmir at the Republic Day National Poets’ Symposium.

• In 2004, she was awarded with Vijay’s Samman from the Ministry of Defence for her writing and the Shair-e-Wattan Award from All India Hindi-Urdu Sangam.

• In 2008, Andrabi earned a master’s degree in Urdu from the University of Kashmir and a doctorate in Urdu from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, Punjab.

• Before joining Bharatiya Janata Party, Darakhshan Andrabi was associated with Socialist Democratic Party (SDP), where she led campaigns such as Vote for India and Aman ki Liye Rai Shumaari (A Referendum for Peace). These campaigns helped her in establishing her public profile in Jammu and Kashmir.

• In 2014, Darakhshan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election from Sonawar in Srinagar; however, she lost the election to People’s Democratic Party candidate Mohammad Ashraf Mir.
  

  Darakhshan Andrabi with Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi

• In 2016, she became chairperson of the Eductaion and Women Welfare Committee under the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.

• In the same year, she received Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) degree from Vikramshila University for her research work.

• In 2021, she became a member of the BJP National Executive, the party’s national-level decision-making body.

• In March 2022, Andrabi became head the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board. The board manages religious endowments. shrine, mosques and other properties dedicated to charitable or religious purposes. She is also the first woman and the first BJP leader to head the J&K Waqf Board.

• In April 2022, the Jammu and Kashmir administration granted Darakhshan the status equivalent to a Minister of State.

• As chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, Darakhshan Andrabi oversaw renovation and development projects at several religious sites, including Dargarh Hazratbal in Srinagar.

• In 2025, she received a Certificate of Honour from Global Book of Excellence Records for her work as Waqf Board chairperson.

• In September 2025, the Waqf Board installed a plaque bearing India’s national emblem at the renovated Hazratbal shrine.

• The installation drew criticism from political leaders and religious person, who later argued that displaying the national emblem at a religious site was inappropriate.

• Several religious personalities and political parties including the National Conference and the Jammu & Kashmir People’s Democratic Party criticised her decision

• Jammu & Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti criticised the installation.

• Omar Abdullah stated that the national emblem was meant for government functions rather than religious places

• In May 2026, Andrabi received the Lal Ded National Award for her contribution to social service, women’s empowerment, and public outreach.

• In October 2026, she led anti-drug awareness program across Jammu and Kashmir and urged religious leaders to help in protecting young people from drug abuse.

• In October 2026, Darakhshan Andrabi came into news after she faced criticism over a proposal for common topics in Friday sermons at mosques.

• Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, and other religious leaders opposed her proposal and argued that religious scholars and imams should have the freedom to decide sermon matters.

• On 13 October 2026, Darakhshan Andrabi clarified her statement stating that the Waqf Board had not issued any order making uniform Friday sermons compulsory. She added that imams and religious scholars are free to choose their topics, including social issues such as drug abuse and youth distress.