My next course of action would depend on what the people of Kashmir want me to do, the IAS officer Shah Faesal, who has resigned from the service, said on Thursday.
Amid a mixed response to his decision of quitting the elite service apparently to joining electoral politics, Faesal wrote on his Facebook wall: “As of now I have quit the service. What I am going to do hereafter also depends on what people of Kashmir want me to do, more so the youth”.
He said he has an idea about his future plans but wanted to know the ideas from the people also before taking the final decision.
“If you are ready to come out of Facebook/Twitter and show up in Srinagar tomorrow (Friday), we could think this through together. My choice of politics will be decided by real people, not Facebook likes and comments”, Faesal said.
His post triggered a huge response, with hundreds of people expressing their willingness to interact with him.
Later, he announced that the proposed youth interaction has been postponed due to the adverse weather conditions but he would go ahead with his press conference Friday where he is expected to share his “future plans”.
His decision to quit the IAS is being widely discussed and debated in Kashmir since Wednesday afternoon.
Faesal himself admitted that he is also facing criticism for his decision.
“It has been a storm of abuse and adulation. Hundreds and thousands of people reacted to my resignation in hundreds and thousands of ways. I totally expected this,” he wrote, day after he cited “unabated civilian killings in Kashmir and marginalisation of Indian Muslims” for his decision to quit IAS.