India's ambassador to Italy Arif S. Khan, who passed away in Rome Wednesday, had a strong Kashmir connection.
Khan, 58, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1975 batch, was married to a Kashmiri woman, Farida.
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
A union secretary level officer, Khan also served as the spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.
Later, he held other senior positions like India's envoy in New York, Syria and Paris.
Born in Cuttack (Orissa), Khan joined the foreign service after completing his graduation from St. Stephen's college, Delhi.
His father was an Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer and Khan was the only child of his parents, both of whom are alive.
Khan's body is being flown from Rome Friday to New Delhi, where he would be laid to rest.
Khan was suffering from lung cancer for the last eight months.
“Ironically, his younger son is currently doing research on small cell cancer in the US, the disease that has claimed his father," said Khwaja Nisar Hussain, Farida's uncle.
Hussain admitted that Khan was a chain smoker, a habit that proved very costly leading to the ailment that ended his brilliant career.
“He smoked 40 cigarettes a day till a few years back,” Hussain recalled.
Khan's wife Farida, who teaches in the Jamia Milia Islamia in Delhi, is a known social worker who spends most of her spare time looking after underprivileged children across the religious divide.
Many people called on the Srinagar residence of Farida to offer condolences.