It might seem like a script from a historical drama film, but it is a true story of success and endeavour.
Anjum Bashir Khan Khattak is a simple village boy, whose home was ravaged when Surankote was amidst the grip of militancy. Militant activities had peaked in the village in the 1990s. in 1998, his home in MohraBachai was torched by the terrorists.
He did not let the violence deter or harden him. A son of a retired lecturer, he continued working on his dream, and though mathematics at the local village school. Anjum completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) in Rajouri in 2012. Since then, he began preparing for the civil services exam.
Government service exams are considered the toughest of all competitive exams. The syllabus is very vast, and the chances of selection are slim with the passing rate of less than a percent.
Yet, Anjum did not go to any coaching class, preparing for the exam by himself. With self-study and tremendous hard work, he topped the exam in 2017. He said that observation and insight were his main weapons. When you have known such horrors in your childhood, it is little wonder that you develop subtle sensitivities towards larger national issues.
Image Credit: iaspaper
In 2009, Shah Faesal became the first Kashmiri to top the Central Civil Services exam. In 2015, Kashmir’s Athar AamirulShafi Khan was ranked second in the national civil services exam. In 2016, 14 Kashmiri candidates qualified in the prestigious UPSC exam.
These success stories are also a way forward to channel the restive youth of the ravaged state. Instead of picking up arms, picking up books with an intention of service is the perfect choice to better the conditions in Jammu and Kashmir.
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