The Group of Concerned Citizens, Jammu and Kashmir, organized the second Mohammad Shafi Pandit Memorial Lecture on September 19, 2026, at the Institution of Engineers (India) in Sonwar, Srinagar. The session was chaired by Dr. Sohrab Uddin Yaqoob Qurashi, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, who delivered a speech titled “What Kashmir Taught Me: Democracy, Courage and Belonging.” Qurashi argued that Jammu and Kashmir must be restored to statehood and stressed the need for democracy, reconciliation, and the revival of social bonds and a sense of belonging. He added that the return of the pandit community requires both rehabilitation and reconciliation.
During the event, speakers highlighted the administrative legacy of Mohammad Shafi Pandit, describing him as an innovative and determined administrator. As Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, he successfully countered a butchers’ strike by encouraging a voluntary public boycott of mutton, and he launched a campaign against ostentatious weddings, dowry, and unchecked guest arrivals. On central deputation as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, he played a pivotal role in implementing the Mandal Commission recommendations. After retirement, he promoted coaching classes for IAS and JKAS aspirants; he was the first Kashmiri to clear the IAS examination in 1969. His father, Mohammad Maqbool Pandit, served as Wazir e Wazarat, and his wife, Night Shafi, founded the HELP Foundation, which has educated more than two lakh students.
ALSO READ | Deep Depression Triggers Red Alerts in Odisha, While 'Cyclone Arnab' Remains a Social Media Myth
Former Chief Secretaries M.C. Phunsog and B.R. Sharma praised Pandit’s contributions to public administration, with Phunsog describing his return to Srinagar as a “homecoming.” GCC Chairman Khurshid Ahmad Ganai reiterated the organization’s suggestions to the government on improving governance and again stressed the restoration of statehood. Additional speakers included Sufi Gulam Rasool (IRS), M Salim Beg, Syed Shakeel Qalandar, Zareef Ahmad Zareef, Kifayat Rizvi, Lateef u Zaman Dev, and Dr. Farooq Ahmad Peer. Abdul Rashid Khan welcomed the guests, and Ghulam Jeelani Nehvi offered the vote of thanks, while Dr. Zubair Saleem conducted the proceedings. The lecture also recalled Pandit’s literary interests in poets such as Iqbal, Ghalib, and Faiz, and his role as a founder of the Group of Concerned Citizens. A personal recollection noted that in 2014, as president of the Youth Hostel, Pandit provided accommodation to a young UPSC aspirant who later became Municipal Commissioner of Srinagar, Faz Lul Haseeb Peerzada.
