IAS topper Shah Faesal makes big statement ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2019

Shah Faesal, IAS officer who has announced his resignation, on Friday said he would not be joining any political party "as of now" but was willing to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, he ruled out the possibility of joining separatist Hurriyat Conference saying his experience in governance could not be used there. Faesal, the 2009 IAS topper, has decided to quit on January 9 over in protest against the “unabated killings in Kashmir”.

"I am deeply inspired by Imran Khan (Pakistan Prime Minister) and Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi Chief Minister), but we are operating in a conflict zone and it's not very easy for us to work in that space. The space that has lost its legitimacy in last few years," Faesal said.

Earlier reports suggested Faesal might contest the Lok Sabha polls. The reported added that the National Conference is likely to give a ticket to Faesal. Taking to micro-blogging website Twitter, Faesal wrote: “To protest the unabated killings in Kashmir and absence of any credible political initiative from Union Government, I have decided to resign from IAS. Kashmiri lives matter.”

Faesal, an MBBS degree holder may contest the Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla parliamentary seat on an NC ticket, political sources told news agency PTI. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah had said his resignation was a loss of bureaucracy and gain of politics.

Shah Faesal, IAS officer from #JammuAndKashmir who resigned on 9 January: As of now, I do not have any plans to join any existing mainstream party. pic.twitter.com/lK3bXGlsAu

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2019

Read Here | IAS topper Shah Faesal resigns, likely to join politics; Omar Abdullah says 'welcome'

Faesal has been in the limelight since becoming the first Kashmiri to top the civil services exam in 2009. In a brief statement on Facebook, the 35-year-old Faesal, who belongs to 2010 batch of the IAS, said his resignation was also to protest "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 state and growing culture of intolerance and hate in mainland India in the name of hyper-nationalism".

"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 had said.

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also welcomed Faesel's resignation.

"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," the Hurriyat leader had said in his tweet.

(With PTI inputs)