It happens only in India!: Shah Faesal on freedom to Muslims in India
‘It's possible only in India that a Muslim youngster from Kashmir can go on to top the Indian Civil Service exam'
Lauding India for providing equal opportunities and freedom to Muslims, IAS officer Shah Faesal cited his own journey as a civil services officer in India. He claimed that nowhere else on earth do Muslims enjoy such freedom.
His remarks came after Rishi Sunak was appointed as the UK’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister.
Tweeting in a thread he stated, ‘It’s possible only in India that a Muslim youngster from Kashmir can go on to top the Indian Civil Service exam, rise to top echelons of the government, then fall apart with the government and still be rescued and taken back by the same government.’
Taking a dig at neighbouring country Pakistan Faesal said, “Rishi Saunak’s appointment might be a surprise for our neighbours where the Constitution bars non-Muslims from top posts in the Government, but Indian democracy has never discriminated ethnic and religious minorities from the rest.”
Appreciating the freedom given to Indian Muslims the IAS officer claims, “As equal citizens, Indian Muslims enjoy freedoms that are unthinkable in any other so called Islamic country. My own life-story is about a journey, shoulder to shoulder, with each fellow citizen of this nation of 1.3 Billion people, where I have felt owned, respected, encouraged and at times pampered at every step of the way. That’s India.”
Acknowledging that equal opportunity is provided to all the religions in India Shah Faesal states, “From Maulana Azad to Dr. Manmohan Singh and Dr. Zakir Hussain to HE President Droupadi Murmu, India has always been THE land of equal opportunity and the road to the top is open to all. Won’t be wrong if I say I have been to the mountain top and seen it for myself.”
A 2009 IAS topper, Faesal became the first Kashmiri to top the Indian Civil Service examination. He resigned in protest against the Indian government in January 2019. However, he was reinstated in the service in April this year. He is currently posted as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Culture.
