By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: Five candidates, including the second-highest rank, have been selected from the Kashmir Division of J&K for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations 2015.
The result of the UPSC examinations 2015 were declared on Tuesday afternoon, in which 1,078 candidates successfully qualified for the prestigious exam.
The five from the Kashmir division are: Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan (2), Deeba Farhat (281), Ruveda Salam (764), Sheema Nabi (205), Shakil Ahmad Ganai (273).
Athar belongs to a village of Devipora, Mattan in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. At 23, he is the youngest person from Kashmir to crack the prestigious examination. This is the second time that Khan has secured a place in the list. In 2015, he was one of the seven Kashmiris selected in the service and had stood at rank 560 in the list.
A brilliant student, Athar had cracked almost all the major professional entrance examinations in 2009-2010 and initially joined the Government Medical College, Jammu, but pursued his IIT dream after he qualified the JEE exam in his second attempt in 2010.
In his first attempt in 2014, he had got Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) and is presently undergoing training in Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management, Lucknow.
“It is a dream come true. I will not leave any stone unturned to work for the betterment of people. I have opted for Jammu and Kashmir cadre also. I will be happy in case I get chance to work there. I think there is a lot of scope to fulfil the aspirations of people of my state,” he told a Jammu-based news agency.
Deeba Farhat also qualified UPSC for second consecutive year and improved her rank from 553 to 281 this year. Farhat, who belongs to a middle-class family, lost her father in early childhood. She had also qualified for Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) in 2011 and had served Rural Development Department in Anantnag district of J&K.
Sheema Nabi Qasba from Kashmir was ranked at 205.
She completed her B.A., LL.B. (Honours) from National Law University, Jodhpur. She worked with a leading law firm in New Delhi before qualifying for the IAS.
Ruveda Salam, the girl from frontier region of Kupwara in North Kashmir once again cracked the coveted list of Indian Administrative Services, registering a rank of 764. In 2013, Ruveda became the first woman in Kashmir to crack the IAS examination. In 2015, she was ranked at 878. The daughter of former broadcaster first graduated as a medical doctor and then qualified Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) Examination.
Shah Faesal, the first Kashmiri to top the Indian Civil Services Examination in 2009, congratulated the selected Kashmiri candidates via a Facebook post.
“Hearty congratulations to Ather Amir, the star from Anantnag Kashmir, who has got 2nd Rank in UPSC Civil Services Exam. Hats off to Sheema Qasba, Deeba Farhat, Basharat Qayoom and others also. Thank you for bringing laurels to J&K State and becoming such an inspiration. Congratulations to Tina Dabi also for topping the exam,” he wrote.
J&K Chief Minister also congratulated Ather and said, “There is no dearth of talent in our state which Athar has proved today. Many congratulations for having successfully cleared the exams with flying colours and my best wishes as you start your journey to serve the people.”
Of the total 1,078 successful candidates in the final list of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations, only 36 Muslims could make it to this year’s result. The number of Muslim candidates is almost the same as last few years.