Shah Faesal launches his own political party, names it ‘Jammu & Kashmir People’s Movement’  

Shah Faesal.

New Delhi: Shah Faesal, former IAS officer, on Sunday, launched his political party – Jammu & Kashmir People’s Movement – at a function in Srinagar’s Rajbag area. The event saw a big turnout of people. Recently, Faesal had said he was going to launch his own political outfit in Kashmir.

While launching his party, Faesal, 35, vowed to work towards the settlement of the Kashmir dispute by becoming a “bridge between India and Pakistan”. Former Jawaharlal National University student leader Shehla Rashid Shora, 31, was among the several young people who joined Faesal’s party.

Faesal, while launching the party, stated that he was not entering the political arena to engage in “traditional politics”. He said, “This party doesn’t belong to any particular religion or group. It is people’s party, and I invite all of you, particularly the youth, to join us.”

Referring to the Treaty of Amritsar signed between the East India Company and the-then ruler of Kashmir, Raja Gulab Singh, Faesal said, “The indignation experienced by us more than 150 years ago still weighs heavy on us.”

The former IAS officer said, “I was at a point where I had to decide which political party I should join. While I was mulling that decision, people, especially the young people, displayed a lot of anger and outrage. I am thankful for that because they helped me take a very important decision. We decided to float our own party, and I was forced by the people to do so.”

Faesal, who quit the Indian Administrative Service in January to protests against “unabated killings” in Kashmir, shared his party’s vision is to pursue a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute, as per the will and aspirations of people in Jammu and Kashmir.

In his speech, he claimed that the party will be youth-oriented and added that his party will focus on the youth and their problems. The party’s tagline is “Hawa Badlegi (Winds Will Change)”.

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