Kashmir bureaucrat-turned politician Shah Faesal, one of the most vocal critics of the federal government’s move to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special constitutional status, has quit the party he founded – the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement.
"Dr Shah Faesal had informed State Executive Members that he is not in a position to continue with political activities and wants to be freed from the responsibilities of the organization,” said a statement by the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement on Monday.
Faesal, was taken into preventive custody along with other political leaders in August 2019, and remained under house arrest under the stringent Public Safety Act before being released in July.
Though Faesal has not said anything publicly, local media has reported that he might return to the government as his resignation has not yet been accepted.
Shah Faesal topped the elite Indian Administrative Service and was the Director of Education in the Jammu and Kashmir government when he decided to quit the service. He said the decision was prompted by the ‘unabated killings’ of Kashmiris and the marginalisation of ‘Indian Muslims’.
On 5 August, the federal government decided to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution to withdraw the special status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir and divide it into two federally administered territories.
