Thaindian News

Srinagar, May 12 (IANS) An year after local boy Shah Faesal topped the coveted civil services examination, six candidates from Jammu and Kashmir have made it to the country’s premier Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) list this year.

The final selection list was released by the UPSC Wednesday.

For the first time, a female candidate - Ovessa Iqbal - from the Ladakh region has made it to the list.

Three people from the Kashmir Valley — Abid Hussain Sadiq, Gulzar Ahmad Wani and Syed Abid Rashid — and two belonging to the Jammu region — Sarvjeet Soodan and Muhammad Aijaz — have also cracked the civil services exam this year.

Sadiq, who belongs to the uptown Hyderpora locality of summer capital Srinagar, said all the credit for his success goes to his family who encouraged him to take the examination.

It must be mentioned that because of the over 20-year-long separatist violence in the state, education and competitive selections had taken a beating as the functioning of schools, colleges and universities across the valley got affected.

Last year, Shah Faesal, a doctor, whose father had been killed by separatist guerrillas in the frontier district of Kupwara during the high point of violence, braved all odds and topped the All India Civil Services Exam in 2009.

“It was the singular achievement of Shah Faesal that opened the gates of hope for the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) aspirants in Kashmir. If a village boy could win laurels, why couldn’t others?” said Munir-ul-Islam, a local assistant commissioner who joined the state civil services in 1999.

“This is a great inspiration and the results are there for everybody to see,” he added.