Daily Times

37-year-old Shah Faesal has apparently created history, not once or twice but thrice. He became the first Kashmiri to top the coveted civil services exams, then he became the first Kashmiri to resign from the job within ten years of his service to install his own political party and now he has created another history of quitting president-ship.

Shah Faelal, who resigned from Indian Administrative Services (IAS) after 10 years and launched his political democratic outfit Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Movement (J&KPM), two year ago did more harm than doing good to the political health of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah Faesal topped the Indian Civil Services examination in 2009, creating history. Suddenly, Faesal resigned from the IAS and entered the politics of J&K, without having been motivated by anybody. His resignation starred the establishment as he was the 3rd IAS officer to resign after J&K constitutional status was degraded and was divided into two Union Territories-J&K and Ladakh.

Spending about one year in confinement under the guard of heavily armed security forces, away from family life and politics might have tired him, last his spirit (exhausted) to such an extent that those who associated with his outfit after leaving other traditional democratic political parties of running on the sides of the Indian establishment, felt let down. They dubbed his action of resigning from presidentship of the J&KPM and leaving politics once for all as an act of betrayal.

Hailing from non-political background, his father Ghulam Rasool Shah was allegedly assassinated by underground fighters suspecting him of spying on them for the Indian state. His mother Mubeena Shah is a simple house maker. He got into IAS after the death of his father and his top position in 2009 garnered him lot of respect and accolades, making him an idol for the young generation of conflict-ridden Kashmir.

His being topper, he was allotted J&K cadre of his choice. It is said he was never happy with the type of postings/appointments he had been given and used to grumble about their being of hardly any significance to serve.

Faesal an intelligent person is a free from politics now. His last statement after quitting politics irked many that youth must understand the ground realities of the time and design their politics accordingly. But how come he fumbled to launch a political party without having sensed the ground realities. He being insider of administration knew very well that J&K, a paradise known as Switzerland, is smouldering for the last 70 years, if not burning. Young persons are fighting to die and nothing seems visible in the near future to achieve. After the abrogation of Article 370, Faesal attempted to leave the country for Turkey but was held at New Delhi before he could board the flight. His passport was impounded after detaining him. He was brought back to Srinagar and Public Safety Act 2009, was slapped on him.

No one knows that it was his incarnation during confinement of over a year or something conspired between him and power that be that he has a new vision for people of J&K. Only time would tell after he resumes his resigned job to start afresh. It would be good for him to observe silence for at least sometimes.

In a fast development to retain the party floating, a Mumbai based Kashmiri business tycoons Feroze Perzada, has taken over as party president. The politicians in J&K know that the major political parties outside J&K have only lip sympathy with people of J&K

His unsolicited advice to the youth of J&K that they should form their politics according the ground realities of the time, appears to have raised some doubts in the minds of his contemporary politicians as if it was designed action on behalf of someone outside Kashmir. His joining the politics, and quitting in shortest time, and again hoping to join the IAS, gives credence to such ideas. It is a million-dollar question that why his resignation from IAS was not accepted by the Indian government even after lapse of two years. This belief is being circulated that he would be posted at the Centre in New Delhi.

His forming of a new political party created confusion among the already confused political environment of the state and among the politicians. Thus, his act has harmed more to the already confused state’s politics. Weak as these parties are, the leaders have no policy or formula to put before the PM Modi government to resolve the lingering Kashmir issue. When he was under arrest, the JK Apni Party came on the political horizon with the blessings of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Affairs Minister Amit shah.

What is left after his departure from politics, his left-over colleagues are making all efforts to keep the boat a float. Another top credible face Javed Mustafa Mir, a former legislator and minister also quit the party. There appears to be confusion and frustration among the young members of the party, who are also not in a mood to continue with this political party

In a fast development to retain the party floating, a Mumbai based Kashmiri business tycoons FerozePerzada, has taken over as party president. The politicians in J&K know that the major political parties outside J&K have only lip sympathy with people of J&K. The top leaders of national political parties looking at their vote banks does not want to go too close to the people of J&K as their limited seven seats does not affect the formation of Government at the centre. If at all they have made any statement criticizing the abrogation of Article 370, it is in a very casual way. When PM Modi challenges the opposition parties over the Abrogation of Article 370, he states ‘himanthai to badal kai dekho” (revoke the abrogation of Article 370 if you have political courage). Even if opposition comes to power someday, no one would reverse it.

Moreover, as a political analyst on Kashmir, I would say that resigning from civil services was personal decision of Shah Faesal for which he faced lot of criticism. People of Kashmir, especially government employees, who got inducted into jobs for doing agentry of political parties during elections, called Shah Faesal as political stooge of centre and he was labelled as puppet. Faesal is now again under strong criticism from people of Kashmir, who called him Indian agent and playing with the emotions of the people in Kashmir. His joining and resigning from any job or being political or non-political, is entirely his business and I would not delve into it, but installing a new political party had certainly ignited hopes among Kashmiris to see something new in politics, which has been plagued by family politics. His appearance on political podium was seen as a new dawn of Kashmir politics, but his resignation put all the speculations and anticipations to an end.

The writer is senior journalist and Indo-Pak peace activist