Nagma Muhammad Fareed of Kasaragod is the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs
First Muslim woman to become Indian Foreign Service officer
If the right opportunity is given to Muslim women, they can achieve anything and scale any heights. Nagma Muhammad Fareed who is appointed as the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, held by Sushma Swaraj, is a fine example for this. Nagma Fareed is the first Muslim woman who was selected for the coveted Indian Foreign Service ( IFS ) post in India and she is also the first Muslim woman who is working in an important position with the External affairs Minister.
1920 and 1930s Muslim Community of Kerala and Karnataka was very backward. But a boy from ‘Pudipura family’ of Chemanadu village in Kasaragodu, situated on the bank of Chandragiri river, started going to primary school in Kasaragodu crossing the river during those days. He completed his high school in Mangaluru and left for Madras ( now Chennai) for college education. He got two degrees from the university and became an advocate. After returning to Kasaragodu, he started his profession as advocate and became famous as ‘Vakeel Ahmed’.
Nagma Muhammad Fareed is the daughter of this illustrious father Ahmed. Ahmed has sent his three sons to Madras for higher education. Against the existing practice in Muslim community at that time, Ahmed sent his only daughter to school. She was the only Muslim girl who had completed metric education during that time in the district.
Nagma was very good in her studies and secured good marks at Schools and colleges . Her parents wanted her to become a doctor. But the ambition of Fathima Nagma was different. She wanted to write IAS exam. She was educated at St Stephen's College & Delhi School of Economics. She holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a master's degree in Sociology. She appeared for IAS ( UPSC) exams in 1990. She secured a rank within 100. Due to her good ranking she got the opportunity to select the foreign service . So, Nagma selected Foreign service and joined in the batch of 1991.
In the beginning, she served in France, Arab countries, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Later, she was appointed first as the Indian High Commissioner to Thailand and later as the Indian Ambassador to Tunisia. Before this posting, she served as a staff officer to Prime Minister I.K. Gujral. She then served as the first woman Deputy Chief of Protocol (Ceremonial).For the last three years, she was serving as Indian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam.
Now, she is elevated as the Joint Secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. One of her brother is serving in high rank in the Indian Air Force.
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Babri post row: Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra unit like 'B team' of BJP, says Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai, Dec 8: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday called the Maharashtra unit of Samajwadi Party the "B team" of the BJP, his remark coming a day after the Akhilesh Yadav-led party said it would quit MVA over a social media post by Uddhav Thackeray's aide hailing the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition.
"Some times the state unit of the SP acts like the B team of the BJP. (SP national chief) Akhilesh Yadavji is fighting the battle (against the BJP). But don't get me started on who the state SP helped in the recent (assembly) polls," Thackeray told reporters.
On Saturday, the SP's Maharashtra unit chief Abu Azmi had hit out at the Shiv Sena (UBT) over a newspaper advertisement and MLC Milind Narvekar's X post connected to the demolition.
"If anyone in the Maha Vikas Aghadi speaks such language, what is the difference between the BJP and them? Why should we stay with them?" Azmi had asked.
Hitting back, Thackeray on Sunday said his party's Hindutva was all inclusive.
"The BJP speaks of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' (progress for all), while we do it on the ground. Uddhav Thackeray takes along everybody and people of Maharashtra have seen it," the Worli MLA and former state minister asserted.
