PM condoles demise, terms him ‘Pride of Kashmir’

Srinagar, Sep 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday paid rich tribute to the first Muslim IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir Muhammad Shafi Pandit, who passed away on Wednesday night.

Addressing the public gathering at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, the PM expressed condolences with the family of the deceased.

“I received the news that the first Muslim IAS officer from Kashmir and ‘Pride of Kashmir’, Muhammad Shafi Pandit, has passed away. Even after his retirement, he continued to work for the betterment of society. In this time of sorrow, our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” he said.

Pandit, 80, retired as chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission in 2009.

He was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi, one of the close friends told Greater Kashmir.

“He was admitted to the hospital some three months ago for treatment,” Pandit said.