New Delhi: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija has questioned the ‘abrupt’ resignation of former IAS officer Shah Faesal as the president of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement (JKPM), a party he founded after leaving the civil services in 2019.
“What made a man deeply passionate about bringing effective change to the people of J&K through politics change his mind so abruptly?” tweeted Iltija Monday from her mother’s twitter handle.
Kashmir is abuzz about Shah Faesal resigning as President JKPM, a party he founded in Feb, 2019. What made a man deeply passionate about bringing effective change to people of J&K through politics change his mind so abruptly?
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 10, 2020
Iltija has been operating Mufti’s twitter account as the latter has been in detention since last August in the wake of the scrapping of Article 370.
On Sunday, Faesal removed his designation as the president of the JKPM from his Twitter bio. It has now been updated to just — ‘Edward S Fellow @HKS Harvard University. Medico. Fulbright. Centrist’.
The very next day, on 10 August, the JKPM announced that its founding president Faesal had stepped down and that Feroze Peerzada would be the new president.
Also read: Shah Faesal sparked an IAS craze in J&K’s Lolab, his arrest has now dampened enthusiasm
‘Faesal had no political baggage’
Speaking about Faesal’s 14 August interview with BBC last year, Iltija recalled how he at that time had said that after the scrapping of Article 370, a Kashmiri leader could only be a stooge or a separatist. Faesal was detained right after that and booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), she wrote.
A UPSC topper & Harvard scholar who excelled as a civil officer & had no dearth of career options.Shah Faesal post 5th Aug said in a BBC interview that a Kashmiri leader could only be a stooge or a separatist now. He was detained right after & slapped with PSA subsequently
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 10, 2020
“Unlike other mainstream parties, he had no political baggage & therefore enjoyed considerable popularity & credibility amongst masses. JKPMs vision document was well within the realm of constitutional rights given to J&K,” she added.
Unlike other mainstream parties, he had no political baggage & therefore enjoyed considerable popularity & credibility amongst masses.JKPMs vision document was well within realm of constitutional rights given to J&K.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 10, 2020
“Quite clearly, GOI has outlawed/pressurises (overtly & covertly) political parties & leaders who refuse to accept scrapping of Article 370.nstitutional rights given to J&K (sic),” she added.
Quite clearly, GOI has outlawed/pressurises (overtly & covertly) political parties & leaders who refuse to accept scrapping of Article 370.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 10, 2020
Also read: How BJP gained 2.5 lakh members in Kashmir in a year since Article 370 was scrapped