Shah Faesal is a man who was hailed for being the first Kashmiri to have topped the Indian Civil Services Examination, a milestone millions across India dream off and study hard for.
The detention of Shah Faesal by the authorities at the Delhi airport before he was supposed to fly off to Turkey has been a move that invited controversy. There should perhaps be no controversy in detaining a person who can very well be in touch with forces working against India. The persons, the organisations, the vested interests – both within and outside India across the border – are working overtime to create frictions in the country and the society.
Shah Faesal is a man who was hailed for being the first Kashmiri to have topped the Indian Civil Services Examination, a milestone millions across India dream off and study hard for. It should be noted however that Raj Purohit had scored more than Faesal by a margin of 70 marks, but pertaining to the unspoken, unwritten rules of the UPA days, it was to be a Kashmiri Muslim from the Valley who should be bestowed upon the honour. Having taken an oath of allegiance to India and its sacred Constitution, he was to be bound by the vow even after he ceased to be a civil servant. However, what we have seen is the complete opposite.
Faesal has become a front for vicious, anti-India forces across the border and even within, trying desperately to harbour a sense of negativity against the government and its historic decision to scrap Article 370 among the minds of not just the common people in Kashmir but across the country. Dirty propaganda against India that is spilt every day by the bosses in Pakistan is being forwarded here, as easily as sending a WhatsApp message.
Faesal's previous statements of India having turned into "lynchistan" and "rapistan" is an abomination, his ties to separatists and separatist sympathizers are appalling and his blatant opposition to the Article 370 move by the government is way beyond mere condemnation. This attitude is not just motivated by political adventurism, but there's something else that is happening beyond the curtain on his stage.
(People hold national flags during a bike rally to mark the 73rd Independence Day celebrations in Jammu on Thursday - ANI)
Lobbyists of anti-national forces in cohorts with certain factions of the grand old party, leftists and liberal media are drawing up their boards to play a great game in Kashmir. Even the recent vibrations of sentiments from some in Bollywood is a matter of worry. Faesal has more recently been seen as an idol for those hoping to slice away Kashmir from India. No wonder he and his lot got irked after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval walked through the streets of the Valley with the intention of confidence-building measures. This display of heartfelt affection and care of the government for the residents there has become the itching salt on their wounded agendas. Attempts are being made to disrupt such measures and create fractures in trust between the people and state.
Faesal's plan to fly to Istanbul – a gateway to entre the mayhem in Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries – might well be driven by order from 'above' to coordinate on further strategy. If the Vishal Upadhyay case is recalled, people clandestinely travelling to Pakistan take such routes like travelling to a destination in the Gulf, Turkey, Egypt etc. from where an alternate set of travel documents are arranged by their handlers. Hence, was Istanbul his final destination is a million-dollar question.
The intelligence agencies and law enforcement did a commendable job by getting him before any nefarious plan could be whispered. However, the government should tread the situation carefully. It should be their priority to first gather enough incriminating evidence and place it before the judiciary; ad hoc charges of sedition can make him a hero overnight. The case should be trusted with the National Investigation Agency with deep looks into his finances and contacts across the border.
Centre's direct control over the Kashmir region is a welcome sign as the civil servants in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had a disproportionate cadre from the Valley with posts way down the pyramid being handed to pliant babus from Jammu and Ladakh. This injustice will soon end and can benefit the administration of the region. Merit over appeasement, nationalism over separatism and constitution over vested interests will now be the rules of civil service in the two new Union Territories.
Former civil servant and author of Hindu Terror: Insider Account Of Ministry Of Home Affairs 2006-2010
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