The Shahs are originally from the remote Sogam-Lolab block in the border district of Kupwara.
From the militant heartland of Lolab, Kashmiri has got its first IAS topper.
Shah Faesal, an MBBS degree-holder from Srinagar, became the first Kashmiri on Thursday to have topped the civil services exam in the history of independent India.
The Shahs are originally from the remote Sogam-Lolab block in the border district of Kupwara.
Coming from a humble background, Faesal suffered a personal tragedy when his father Ghulam Rasool Shah, a schoolteacher, was gunned down by militants in 2002.
Such was the shock that the family permanently moved to Srinagar.
Their house in Sogam is locked for the last eight years as no family member dares to visit the village fearing it could reopen old wounds.
Faesal, 26, however, turned the tragedy into his strength and passed MBBS from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College and now he has cracked the IAS exam.
His commitment could be gauged from the fact that he appeared for the MBBS entrance test a day after his father’s death and still cleared it with flying colours.
“I was wondering why Kashmiris can’t crack the civil services. I cracked the exam in my first attempt and thus broke the myth that Kashmiris can’t qualify.
AG Mir, who cracked the IPS and is currently DIG of CID [in Srinagar] is my inspiration. I am the first Kashmir and second Muslim in India to have topped the civil services,” Faesal said.
Despite being a science student, he chose public administration and Urdu literature as his subjects for civil services.
A multi-faceted personality, Faesal has special love for Urdu and has penned many poems. “He is a fan of [noted poet] Iqbal and knows Urdu, Persian, Arabic and English languages,” sister Tilat Rasool said.
It seemed as if all roads were leading to Naveed House, the residence of Faesal. Inside the palatial house, his mother Mubeena was greeting guests.
“I cannot express my happiness in words. Thanks to Almighty Allah, my son has achieved his dream. He was always asking me why I pushed him to MBBS. My answer was simple, I wanted to secure his future,” said Mubeena Shah, a teacher who supported Faesal’s family after his father’s assassination.
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