Dr. Shah Faesal The first Kashmiri to top UPSC

Twenty-six-year-old Dr. Shah Faesal comes from a remote village in Kupwara District and studied in a government school.
In 2002, militants gunned down his father Ghulam Rasool Shah, a schoolteacher. The family, gripped by a sense of insecurity, fled toSrinagar the next day.
Faesal, however, turned that tragedy into his strength and passed the MBBS from the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College. He has now become the fi rst Kashmiri to top the annual Union Public Service Commission examinations.
His mother Mubeena Begum, said, “Faesal has made every Kashmiri proud with his hard work and dedication.”
Faesal said he was confi dent of qualifying, but never imagined he would be right at the top. He said that his mission now is to serve the people in Kashmir to reduce the communication gap between the people and the administration, and to bring a change, especially for women and the youth.
“There are many myths circulating in Kashmir. One of the myths is that we are getting discriminated; one of the myths is that we don’t have exposure; we don’t have talent; I think we will have to deal with the inferiority complex that is inside us,” said Shah Faesal.
“I have proven that a Kashmiri can do it in the fi rst attempt and do it without coaching, and, he can do it from Srinagar only,” he added.
People in the state have lauded his success, and, said it was a source of pride for Kashmir.