IAS Turned Politician Shah Faesal Quits Politics Within 16 Months; J&K People's Movement Accepts Resignation

Former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal quit politics on Monday and resigned from the Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement (JKPM), the political party he had founded in 2019.

The JKPM, releasing a statement, announced that Faesal's resignation had been accepted.

"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 organisation," the statement read, as reported by NDTV.

"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," it added.

While Faesal's 16-month short political career in J&K has come to an end, it is not officially clear what his future pursuits are going to be.

However, speculations are high that he is likely to join back the bureaucracy as he has reportedly been conveyed by authorities that his resignation has not still been accepted.

Interestingly, despite Faesal submitting his resignation and forming a political party, his name was not removed from the list of J&K cadre IAS officers on the official website of the government.

Faesal on Sunday (9 August) lent credence to news reports that he is likely to join back by dropping his political bio from his twitter handle.

His twitter bio said on Sunday evening, “Edward S Fellow @HKS Harvard University, Medico. Fulbright. Centrist.” He obviously has chosen to drop his political bio as the founder of the JKPM.

Faesal had topped the 2010 civil services exam and was allotted his home cadre of the IAS.

Known as an honest and upright officer, Faesal’s well wishers had cautioned him in 2018, when he resigned to join politics, that politics might not be his cup of tea.

He had founded the JKPM in early 2019 amid much fanfare and expectations of an alternative political platform for the youth of J&K.