- PM, LG lead condolences for J&K’s first Muslim IAS officer
Srinagar, Sept 19: Mohammad Shafi Pandit, the first Muslim IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir, passed away on Thursday. He was 80. Pandit was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi after he was detected with cancer about a month ago, his family said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led the condolences from all quarters.
Pandit was the first Muslim from Jammu and Kashmir to qualify the civil services examinations in 1969. His final assignment with the government was as the head of autonomous Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission in 2009.
In the bureaucratic circles, Pandit was widely viewed as a chief secretary that Jammu and Kashmir never had.
The soft-spoken Pandit was part of many civil society and philanthropic initiatives in Kashmir. He also played a key role in rolling out of the Mandal Commission report as he was the joint secretary in the Government of India in 1992.
Pandit’s body was flown to Srinagar later in the day and he was laid to rest at Gogjibagh at 9:30 pm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tribute to Mohammad Shafi Pandit.
“I have come to know Kashmir’s pride and first (Muslim) IAS officer Mohammad Shafi Pandit has passed away. He was working for the benefit of society even after retirement. In this hour of grief, we are with his family,” the prime minister said while addressing an election rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.
The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha also expressed grief over the demise of Mohammad Shafi Pandit.
“Saddened by the demise of Shri Mohammad Shafi Pandit ji. He had an illustrious career as a bureaucrat and served with distinction.He will be remembered for his significant contributions to public service and civil society. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and admirers in this hour of grief,” the LG said in a message.
Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo also condoled the demise of Mohammad Shafi Pandit and remembered him as a very passionate officer who has been there to extend his advice and guidance whenever he was accessed for the same. He termed him a problem solver who had optimum solution for every problem at hand.
Politicians from Jammu and Kashmir also condoled the death of Shafi Pandit.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condoled the death of the IAS officer.
“My good friend of many years. Mohammed Shafi Pandit, has just passed away.He was a 1969-batch IAS officer who occupied important positions with distinction, both in J&K and at the Centre,” Ramesh wrote in a post on X.
“After retirement, he devoted himself to various public causes and emerged as a leading voice of civil society. Soft-spoken and extremely gentle by nature, he epitomised the glorious composite heritage of J&K and was a role model for youth from the Valley to join the civil services,” the Congress leader added.
