J&K IAS officer threatens to quit over being compared with Burhan Wani
Srinagar: Shah Faesal, who topped the prestigious Civil Service examination in his maiden attempt in 2009, the achievement of an orphaned Kashmiri youth from a middleclass family widely celebrated across the restive state and beyond, has threatened to quit his government job if mainstream media of the country does not stop dragging him into its ‘ridiculous debate’ surrounding the happenings in the Valley.
For past seven years, Faesal has been referred to as ‘a new role model and an icon for Kashmiri youth’ and following the killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, the new-age poster boy of militancy, which has pushed the Valley into a new and deadly phase of protests and turbulence, he is being repeatedly weighed against the slain militant commander during TV debates.
But the 30-year-old IAS officer who is currently serving the J&K government as Director Education (Kashmir) has taken a strong exception to him being made part of what he alleged is ‘propagandastic and provocative’ coverage of the ongoing unrest in the Valley.
“By juxtaposing my photos with the images of a slain militant commander, a section of national media has once again fallen back upon its conventional savagery that cashes on falsehoods, divides people and creates more hatred,” he wrote on his Facebook timeline on Friday.
He added, “At a moment when Kashmir is mourning its dead, the propaganda and provocation being dished out from red and blue newsrooms is breeding more alienation and anger in Kashmir than what Indian state can manage.”
Faesal said, “Personal vulnerability apart, the very fact of becoming a part of a ridiculous debate is something which has disturbed me very much”. He asked, “Have I joined IAS to do a job or to become a part of your sadistic propaganda machine?” and then said, “In fact, when I qualified this exam I never thought of spending my whole life scratching the desk and if this nonsense around me continues, I might prefer to resign sooner than later.”
He said, “I’m adding to what my younger colleague Yasin Chaudhary had said earlier in his Facebook post. ZeeNews Aaj Tak TimesNow and NewsX are not going to tell you the truth about Kashmir. Please mind your head. And then, when a state kills and maims its own citizens, it's self-injury and self-decimation of the worst sort. No Government can distance itself from the pain of its people and all out efforts are being made to contain this crisis and reach out to youth. It is going to take time. Till then we have to steer safe from spoilers who want to set Kashmir valley on fire just for the sake of TRP.”
He also said, “Let's pray for those who lost their lives and their eyesight in the ongoing turmoil in Kashmir and stand by one another in this moment of truth. I didn't have net access all this while and today once I saw my timeline, I realised it was the time to speak up. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (a part of a verse from the Qur'an which says ‘Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return’).
