Janjivan Bureau / Srinagar : Kashmiri Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shah Faesal on Wednesday said he had quit the coveted service to protest against unabated killings in Jammu and Kashmir and against the marginalization of Indian Muslims by Hindutva forces, “reducing them to second class citizens”.
Faesal made the announcement on his Twitter page as news of his decision spread.
“To protest against the unabated killings in Kashmir and lack of any sincere reach-out from the Union government; the marginalization 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 IAS,” his post read.
He said he would address a press conference on Friday.
After topping the civil service exam in 2010, Faesal was allotted the home cadre of Jammu and Kashmir. He served as District Magistrate, Director of School Education and Managing Director of the state-owned Power Development Corporation.
He recently returned from the US where he had gone on a Fulbright fellowship from Harvard Kennedy School.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed Faesal’s decision to join politics. Abdullah tweeted: “Bureaucracy’s loss is politics’ gain. Welcome to the fold”. Informed sources said Faesal was likely to join the National Conference and fight the Lok Sabha election from Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley.
