My innocuous act of dissent was seen as treason: Faesal

SRINAGAR/NEWDELHI: Shah Faesal, the first resident of Jammu and Kashmir who topped the civil services exam in 2009, on Tuesday said his decision to join politics last year had done more harm than benefit as his “innocuous act” of dissent was seen as an “act of treason”.

A day after announcing that he was quitting politics, the 37-yearold defended his decision saying “we evolve with time” and abrogation of the special status on August 5 last year brought forth a new political reality in Kashmir.

Faesal had brought glory to the erstwhile state by standing first in the civil services exam and was seen as a role model for youths. He, however, resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in January last year.

“While in detention I thought a lot about it. And I realised that I am not the person who can promise to people that I can undo these decisions,” Faesal, who was released after being kept under preventive detention and later booked under the draconian Public Safety Act, told PTI from Srinagar. Faesal said he was clear that the 1949 national consensus kept Article 370 in the Constitution and the 2019 consensus abrogated it.

“I told myself that I can’t do politics by selling false dreams of undoing these decisions and it’s better to quit and tell the truth to the people,” he said.

Faesal’s political career ended suddenly with the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement, a party launched by him in February last year, announcing on Monday that he had stepped aside from its leadership and quit politics. The party’s vice-president Feroze Peerzada was nominated as its interim president till formal elections can be held for the post.