Syed Sehrish Asgar

Srinagar, May 4: A 25-year-old doctor has become the first Muslim woman in Jammu and Kashmir to qualify for the IAS.

“I am the first Muslim woman from the state to qualify for the IAS. This is an honour for me, my family and my place,” Syed Sehrish Asgar said proudly over phone from Kishtwar.

She has ranked 118th on the list. The feat comes two years after Shah Faisal became the first person from Jammu and Kashmir to top the all-India civil services examination.

Sehrish was also last year’s Kashmir Administrative Service exam topper, becoming the first woman in the state to do it.

Father Syed Asgar, a Legislative Council member, said Sehrish has always been a bright student and she worked hard for the IAS exam. “Last year, she became the first woman to top the Kashmir Administrative Service exam. She has again made us proud,” Asgar said.

Before Sehrish, another woman cracked the civil services examination last year. But Ovessa Iqbal was ranked 572 on the list and did not make it to the IAS.

“As a doctor and an administrator, it would make me more able to serve my people better,” Sehrish said.