Kashmir's Shah Faesal reinstated in civil service after his foray into politics

Controversial IAS officer Shah Faesal, who had resigned from the bureaucracy in 2019, has been appointed as deputy secretary in the tourism ministry.

Department of Personal and Training in its order issued two days ago appointed him to the ministry, informed a senior official. The decision to appoint Faesal was taken by the Centre on Thursday (August 11).

This move comes four months after the government accepted Faesal’s application to withdraw his resignation and to reinstate him in service in April this year. He was likely to be posted in New Delhi.

The IAS officer hinted at his return to bureaucracy in a tweet: “While chasing a chimera, I lost almost everything that I had built over the years. Jobs, friends, reputation, public goodwill. But I never lost hope. My idealism had let me down.”

Also read: Ex-IAS Shah Faesal steps down as J&K People’s Movement president

After resigning from the bureaucracy in January 2019, Faesal launched his political party, the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement (JKPM) to address the concerns of the people of J&K. However, he left politics in August 2020 and quit as the leader of JKPM.

Amid the repealing of J&K’s special status by the government, Faesal was booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and was accused of promoting “soft separatism”. In a tweet, the IAS officer referred to the eight months after his resignation that he spent in launching his party.

He said: “A part of me is exhausted with the memory of those eight months and wants to erase that legacy. Time will mop off the rest, I believe. I am really excited to start over again.” Faesal, who comes from north Kashmir, rose to fame in 2010 when he became the first Kashmiri to top the civil services exam.