Less than a decade after Shah Faesal was recruited to elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by topping the merit list as first Kashmiri, he announced to quit the coveted service in protest against “unabated killings in Kashmir and marginalisation of Indian Muslims”. He will elaborate his reasons and future plans on Friday.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hinted at Faesal’s joining politics while as senior separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq wished his stance over killing of Kashmiris would guide his future course in politics. The people have offered mixed reaction to his resignation ranging between appreciation and ridicule.
Faesal (35) was off-duty for a year to pursue a fellowship in Howard University in the US. He returned a week ago amid speculation about his intentions to quit the Government service to join the electoral politics.
Faesal topped 2009 civil services examination and arguably became the most celebrated topper of the elite competition. He became a youth icon and his performance was referred to by Prime Ministers in their speeches in Kashmir.
“To protest against the unabated killings in Kashmir, and lack of any sincere reach-out from the Union Government, the marginalisation and invisiblisation of around 200 million Indian Muslims at the hands of Hindutva forces reducing them to second-class citizens; insidious attacks on the special identity of the J&K State and growing culture of intolerance and hate in the mainland India in the name of hyper-nationalism, I have decided to resign from Indian Administrative Service,” Faesal wrote on Facebook.
He wrote, “I wish to remind the regime that subversion of public institutions like RBI, CBI and NIA has the potential to decimate the Constitutional edifice of this country and it needs to be stopped.”
“I wish to reiterate that voices of reason in this country cannot be muzzled for long and the environment of siege will need to end if we wish to usher in true democracy,” he wrote. He said his important tasks “hereafter will be to train and guide aspiring civil servants to help them in achieving this dream”.
Without stipulating his future course he said he would look forward to “support and blessings in this new mission.”
Before embarking on the foreign fellowship, Faesal held several coveted posts including District Magistrate of Bandipora, Director School Education, Kashmir and Managing Director, Power Department. An inquiry was ordered against him by the Department of Personal and Trainings, Government of India, after he referred to South Asia region as Rapistan in one of his social media posts. Faesal ridiculed the inquiry. Sources said he was sore over treatment meted out to him by some of the senior bureaucrats in the State. Unlike, most of the civil service officers, Faesal was vocal on political and socio-economic issues. In a recent article in a national newspaper co-authored with a Srinagar based scholar of separatist leanings, Faesal had discussed right to self-determination and impossibility of Kashmiris’ quitting the movement for resolution of political issue.
Welcoming his announcement, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on his twitter handle: “The bureaucracy’s loss is politics’ gain. Welcome to the fold @shahfaesal.”
“Actually I welcomed him to the fold of politicians. His future political plans are his to announce,” he wrote on another tweet.
Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also welcomed his decision. “Welcome the stand to resign by @ShahFaesal to protest unabated killing of Kashmiris by GOI. Hope his outrage over killings and his sentiment that #KashmiriLivesMatter guide his choice of politics and gets reflected in representing his people’s collective deep driving desire of right to self-determination and their relentless struggle and sacrifice in achieving it - also the reason behind killings and repression on them by the State,” Mirwaiz tweeted.
Many people have appreciated Faesal’s “courage” to take a decision to quit such a lucrative career but others said that he would join the same people who have been killing Kashmiris for decades. “I salute u Shah Faesal. I see hope in u. Kashmir needs u more than u need Kashmir,” wrote Sameer Lone, a young writer.
Senior Delhi-based journalist AAsha Khosa described Faesal’s reason for quitting as negative. “What a negative way to make a new beginning! I thought, by joining politics, he would like to play a role in refining and changing the system. But I somehow feel his intellect is overrated and through this statement, he has just shown how cynicism had become predominant emotion in Kashmir. Shah Faesal is not joining any revolution; he is joining a political party that has encouraged dynasty and is part of Indian mainstream. Also, I am compelled to think of his rant about being paid a low salary and small perks as a civil servant!,” Khosa wrote.
Another senior journalist Murtaza Shibli called Faesal’s patters as hypocrites. “Calling his (Faesal’s) purely political act that seeks to further his personal ambitions as courageous is pure hypocrisy and fluff. Besides, his rationale for resignation is quite hollow as this was in the making for quite some time as revealed by various newspaper reports several months ago. Sadly, Faesal’s conscience seems to be the first victim of his political ambition!,” Shibli said.