Let the Shah Fasal decide what’s good for him after tasting and experiencing the corridors of power from bureaucracy to politics. Kashmir is the most suitable laboratory for every type of new experiment, if results come good than it’s ruler’s blessings and if worse then it’s people’s fault. It was in bureaucracy where Dr shah Faesal said that no matter what ever the rank you have, whether you will be IAS or lower rank official,yo u have to obey your bosses, that’s politician’s of that time ,Boss is always right . May be people have forgotten that time a ruling MLA warned BDO, I will throw you out within days the audio of which went viral and surprisingly within days the BDO was not only transferred but he was attached to director’s office and disciplinary action was initiated against him too .Dr Shah Faesal had shown his dissent at that time as he said it’s the politicians who control the bureaucracy. No matter whether you are IAS or KAS if the close workers of a particular minister are not satisfied with IAS or KAS officer’s working that is enough to transfer him/her and if an official will please the ministers and MLAs always that’s enough to promote him even to the ranks of commissioner secretary. Each and everyone in Kashmir knows it that Shah Faesal has worked under the supervision of even those officer’s who had neither qualified KAS nor IAS but political patronage had bestowed them uncountable blessings from time to time. A person who used to be the family cook of former CM in Jammu and Kashmir some two decades before retired as Director in a particular department. There are number of such examples where persons were promoted up to the rank of DC although they were in no way eligible but the blessings of ruling politicians of that era rose them to unimaginable heights. It was the harsh realty which tempted Faesal to be an educated and background politician to control all bureaucratic circles than to be a magic wand in the hands of these politicians. Dr Shah Faesal very cleverly preached that it’s political class which controls the bureaucracy and bureaucrats are just puppets who have to follow their dictations.As we go by the saying power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, Dr shah fasal can had the opportunity to be neutral as an IAS officer and serve the society or to expand his power through politics and not only to serve people but also to keep the bureaucracy under it’s control too. As the political turmoil had ruined Kashmir especially during the reigns of NC and Congress regimes from time to time, it was all because of the setbacks given by NC and Congress from time to time , people found a ray of hope with PDP but they also belied all the expectations till the whole political system looked fragile in Kashmir. The time was very much ripe for Dr Shah Faesal to make an entry into politics. Although he must have joined any other traditional political party but the anger and hopelessness among people provided him the opportunity to sell the new narrative to people as he had become the youth icon and painted the picture of an upright officer.
When Dr Shah Faesal was in bureaucracy even those politicians who were unaware and didn’t knew the planning were formulating the plans for IAS officers and controlling the bureaucracy but when Dr Shah Faesal left bureaucracy to expand his dimensions of power through politics, unfortunately the same bureaucracy overturned the politics .
People have no better choice than him. The political turmoil after abrogation of 370 changed all, the politicians’ who were habitual of insulting junior officers , bureaucrats very often show helplessness even before their own security guards. When the same security guards were ordered by the centre to cage them in their nets, the ex minister’s even CMs were not able to order their own security guards who had guarded them for years for little help too . The helplessness of political class was visible everywhere not to talk of common masses. The Circumstances have changed too fast upside down beyond the imaginations of Dr Shah Faesal, the ex CMs, Ministers ,MLA’s who had been habitual of dictating terms to high officials .They were too much helpless as they were forced to fill a bond for keeping good behaviour before tehsildars, PSA’s were slapped on them by the bureaucrats on the directions of the central government. When Dr Shah Faesal was in bureaucracy even those politicians who were unaware and didn’t knew the planning were formulating the plans for IAS officers and controlling the bureaucracy but when Dr Shah Faesal left bureaucracy to expand his dimensions of power through politics, unfortunately the same bureaucracy overturned the politics . This experiment had taught him a great lesson although the power in bureaucracy is not as strong as politics but it’s still retirement and will increase gradually and in politics your rule is never permanent. So the real life experiments had taught him it’s bureaucracy which is his lifelong support not the fantasy of politics and lured him and he bowed down just in a year. Dr Shah Faesal being the follower of Nelson Mandela ,let me quote his one episode , he had remained almost 24 year’s behind the bars when he became the President of South Africa, a hotel was booked where the president had to take lunch along with his staff during official visit , when the president’s staff assembled along with president for lunch, suddenly Mandela noticed a person in the corner he ordered his private secretary to go and ask him to sit for lunch with us , during the lunch the hands of that man were trembling continuously, so after lunch the private secretary of Nelson Mandela requested the president sir what was wrong with that person , Mandela said nothing actually the person was the security in-charge of the prison in which I had spent 7 years and whenever I used to cry for water he used to come .I have not become president to curse people for my sufferings. In Kashmir politics one must be fully prepared and well aware about the consequences and outcomes; here people are with all but actually with none.
(The author is a freelancer. Views are his own) [email protected]
