MHA sources have clarified that at this stage there is no proposal to get Shah Faesal back into the government

Update: MHA sources have clarified that at this stage there is no proposal to get Shah Faesal back into the government. An earlier version of this story had cited reports stating that Faesal could be appointed as an advisor to the J&K L-G.

Former IAS officer Shah Faesal could be appointed as an advisor to Lieutenant-Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, as per reports. This is the latest in an evolving situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which has witnessed gruesome violence against minorities, with a spate of murders of innocent civilians by terrorists. Following his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, L-G Manoj Sinha on Friday had ordered induction and transfer of nearly 18 Police officers. The following developments came after the gruesome killings of four innocent civilians in Jammu & Kashmir.

Who Is Shah Faesal?

Shah Faesal is a 2010 batch IAS officer who earlier quit the civil services to join politics. Shah Faesal, in the past, was a vocal critic of the Modi government and was even placed under house arrest against the backdrop of the abrogation of Article 370. Later in June 2020, Faesal along with PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Peer Mansoor were released from detention.

After his release, Faesal resigned from the post of chief of Jammu & Kashmir People's Movement (JKPM) which, along with what appeared to be a softening of his political stance, led to rumours that he was set to re-join government service. He had resigned from the civil services on January 9, 2019, citing the 'unabated killings in Kashmir and lack of any sincere reach-out from the Union government'.

Home Minister Amit Shah Reviews Security In J&K

On October 7, Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for a high-level security meeting to discuss the overall security situation with a prime focus on Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minister was apprised by the security situation by security advisors including NSA Ajit Doval, BSF & CRPF heads, and Director of IB. In the meeting that went for over two and a half hours, pertinent issues including anti-drone strategy, security concerns associated with Jammu and Kashmir, and the strategy to nab terrorists were discussed.

Fear grappled over Srinagar after the murders of four innocent civilians at the hands of terrorists. Makhan Lal Bindroo, a Kashmiri Pandit and the owner of a popular and old Srinagar pharmacy was shot dead by Pakistani-backed terrorists in J&K. Within a span of sixty minutes, terrorists had shot dead a street vendor from Bihar's Bhagalpur, Virender Paswan, who sold bhelpuri. Again the terrorists then shot and killed two teachers for having saluted India's Tricolour on August 15. While in the fourth attack, a civilian identified as Mohd Shafi Lone, a resident of Naidkhai was shot dead.