GCC holds ‘Mohammad Shafi Pandit memorial lecture’ on RTI, good governance

Srinagar, Sep 22: The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC) and the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), J&K chapter Monday organised the “First Mohammad Shafi Pandit Memorial Lecture on RTI and good governance.”

The event was organised to honour J&K’s first Muslim IAS officer, Mohammad Shafi Pandit, who passed away in September last year at the age of 80. Mohammad Shafi Pandit was the first Muslim from J&K to qualify for the civil services examinations in 1969.

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, who was the chief guest at the occasion in his address recalled a few meetings of previous years with the late IAS officer. "Today we honor not just an officer of great distinction, but a man not merely for the positions he held, but for the values that he carried with him," he said.

Recollecting the last meetings with the late Mohammad Shafi Pandit, Dulloo said that he was a “man with vision.” “Last year, he came to my office and we had a discussion about central government pensions and he also mentioned some of his visions. It was perhaps a long pending dispute between some workers and he said that the previous Divisional Commissioners have not bothered to second the issue. Because all of them thought that it was complicated," Dulloo said.

Dulloo said that even after his retirement, Mohammad Shafi Pandit was seen interacting with civil services aspirants. "He would always encourage them. Let us remember that service is not power, but responsibility. Let us honour his memory by striving to build a system of achieving with integrity and humility," he said. Former Director General of Police, Ashok Bhan was also present at the occasion.

Briefing about the event, former IAS officer Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, who is also the chairman GCC said the “First Mohammad Shafi Pandit memorial lecture” is a tribute to late Mohammad Shafi Pandit’s legacy. "We discussed good governance, RTI and the role of civil society in the memorial lecture as Shafi sahab mobilised civil society a lot here," he said. He said they are planning to hold a memorial lecture every year in memory of Mohammad Shafi Pandit, where the lectures will be on topics like RTI, governance and role of civil society. "Out of these lectures something positive and constructive will come out for the society which will have a larger impact," he said. Talking to media persons, former Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Central Information Commission, Wajahat Habibullah said based on his experience he focussed on the importance of RTI at the event. "The importance of RTI is not so much in the law, but its principle, transparency and accountability. I will try to explain its importance for the people of Kashmir," he said.