Jammu Kashmir– In a personal and emotional tribute, senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shah Faesal has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th birthday, crediting him with restoring his dignity and giving him a second chance in public service. The remarks, shared on social media, have garnered significant attention given Faesal’s past political journey.
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Faesal recounted a difficult period in his life when he was at a professional and personal low. “A time came in my life when I found myself at the bottom of a ditch, professionally and personally,” he wrote, detailing how his qualifications seemed to matter less and his friends had disappeared.
Faesal, who famously resigned from the IAS to enter politics in Jammu and Kashmir, only to later withdraw his resignation and be reinstated, said he had lost hope but resolved to make one last attempt to return to public life. He candidly questioned whether he would be judged for being “a Kashmiri, being a Muslim.”
He said that an opportunity came sooner than he had expected, and he credited a “true visionary” who saw beyond his past struggles. “He seemed to read the intent behind my journey, he forgave, the way a priest-king might, measuring not pedigree but purpose,” Faesal wrote, without explicitly naming the Prime Minister.
Concluding his post, Faesal stated that this gesture “restored my dignity” and that he would one day tell the full story. He ended with a birthday wish, calling PM Modi “the man who transformed a billion lives.”
Faesal, who was the first UPSC topper from Jammu and Kashmir, had previously been a vocal critic of the government’s policies, particularly following the abrogation of Article 370.
His recent remarks mark a significant shift and join a chorus of well-wishers and dignitaries celebrating the Prime Minister’s milestone birthday.
