Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir's bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal has stepped down as the president of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), a party he had founded after quitting the civil services in 2019.
"Dr Shah Faesal had informed State Executive Members that he is not in a position to continue with political activities and wants to be freed from the responsibilities of the organization," JKPM said in a statement released on Monday.
The statement further said, "Keeping in view this request, it was decided to accept his request so that he can better continue with his life and contribute whichever way he chooses."
The Committee, as per the statement, also accepted the resignation of Chairman Javed Mustafa Mir and accorded farewell to him.
Javed Mustafa Mir, who had also joined the JKPM after resigning from the PDP last year, has been under house arrest since August 5, 2019.
Meanwhile, there are reports floating in the media that Faesal might be joining the administration again but the party leaders maintain that the change in twitter bio should not be seen as him calling it a day.
According to a senior JKPM leader, "Faesal has not left the party or politics. He is under house arrest. If he has changed his twitter bio or removed his official designation it might mean that he wants to continue in some other capacity."
While Faesal's Twitter bio earlier mentioned his role as the JKPM president, it has now been changed to just: "Edward S Fellow @HKS Harvard University. Medico. Fulbright. Centrist."
37-year-old Shah Faesal had topped 2010 civil services exam and was serving the state government, had quit his job in January 2019. He had termed his move as a gesture of protest against the "unabated killings" in Kashmir and the "marginalization of Indian Muslims".
"Kashmir will need a long, sustained, non-violent political mass movement for restoration of political rights. Abolition of Article 370 has finished the mainstream.
Constitutionalists are gone. So you can either be a stooge or a separatist now. No shades of grey," Faesal had tweeted while expressing his displeasure against the Narendra Modi government’s decision to revoke J&K's special status.
However, the tweet was deleted later.
From a poster boy to a politician
Faesal became a poster boy in 2010 by becoming the first-ever candidate from J&K to top the prestigious examination.
He quickly became a rare symbol of hope in troubled Kashmir and motivated hundreds of students in J&K to compete in the IAS examination.
Faesal had opted for the Kashmir cadre and worked in many State departments, including education and J&K power corporation.
However, the IAS topper landed himself in many controversies for his opinions expressed through articles in newspapers and on the social media on Kashmir and the idea of India.
The Centre's Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) underlined a tweet of his and termed the contents as "prima facie in contravention of the extant provision of the All India Service (Conduct Rules) 1968, All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969” in July last year.
Faesal's tweet referred to by the DoPT reads: “Patriarchy + Population + Illiteracy + Alcohol + Porn + Technology + Anarchy = Rapistan."
He hails from a remote village of Sogam in north Kashmir, more than 90 km away from Srinagar. His father was shot dead by militants in 2002.
He last year went to Harvard University in the US on a scholarship for a yearlong course on Public Policy. In a recent Facebook post, Faesal said: “I am a changed man now”.
On March 17, last year, Faesal launched his political party 'Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement' at a function in Rajbagh area of Srinagar. The political rally saw participation from hundreds of people.
Also Read: IAS officer Faesal may return to JK government
Faesal blamed the central government for subverting public institutions like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
While addressing the gathering, Shah Faesal said, "I welcome the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have come here to attend this rally. At first, I thought I would join any prominent political party of Kashmir valley, but their reaction towards me was very negative. So, I decided to launch my own political party which will be a new platform for Kashmir valley's youth."
Faesal said that he admires Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for their political struggle.
"Our party will work for the peaceful resolution of Kashmir as per the wishes of the people living here. We will fight with forces intent to divide Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of religion. We will represent Kashmir's youth. We will work for the health sector and will finish corruption from the state," Shah Faesal said.
Without giving any names, Faesal said, "Those who were ready to accommodate me in their political parties, by denying them and their offers, they are now saying, I am an agent of RSS and BJP."
Shah Faesal said, "Our intention to launch this party is to provide a platform for people from all religions and castes."
Faesal also said that Kashmiri pandits were also part of the Kashmiri culture and that they should return to the valley.
Shah Faesal's political rally saw participation from people across the Kashmir valley. Delegations from Leh and Jammu division were also seen at the rally.
Also Read: J-K admn revokes PSA against Shah Faesal and two PDP leaders
Several youngsters and aspiring politicians joined Faesal's political party, among them are 31-year-old former Jawaharlal National University (JNU) student leader Shehla Rashid Shora.
On August 14, Faesal was detained at Delhi airport, a week after the centre scrapped special status to Jammu and Kashmir, as he was about to fly abroad. He was sent back to Srinagar and detained since.
Earlier on August 12, a lookout notice -- under which one is not allowed to leave the country -- was issued against him by the Intelligence Bureau.
Questioning Faesal's contention that he was on his way to the US to complete his studies at Harvard University, the government said he was travelling on a tourist visa and not a student visa.
He was later booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) in February 2020. The police dossier against Faesal had accused him of advocating “soft separatism” through his articles, tweets and social media posts.
On June 3, this year, Shah Faesal along with two senior members of the People's Democratic Party, Peer Mansoor Hussain and Sartaj Madani, was released after the Jammu & Kashmir administration revoked their detention under the PSA. However, hours later they were again put under house arrest.
Also Read: Shah Faesal resigns as president of party he floated last year
