Jailed separatist leader’s daughter tops CBSE examination in Valley

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 26

Sama Shabir, the daughter of jailed separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah, has brought laurels to the state by securing 97.8 per cent in Class XII Central Board of School Education (CBSE) exam, the results of which were declared on Saturday.

Sama, 19, a student of humanities at Delhi Public School, Srinagar, has topped the CBSE exams this year in the Valley, receiving appreciation from all quarters.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter and wrote: “Congratulations to Sama Shabir Shah for securing 97.8% marks in Class 12th examination. Her hard work and determination has helped her overcome all odds and she is truly an inspiration for the youth of our state.”

On Saturday, it was an emotional and overwhelming moment for Sama as she could not share her success with her father, who is lodged at Tihar Jail in connection with the alleged money laundering case.

“It is an emotional moment because I am not able to share this moment with my father who is in Tihar Jail. He should have been the first person to know about my result but he doesn’t know. My success is dedicated to my father whom I have not seen in a year,” she said.

Sama says that the students in Kashmir have to struggle in the absence of a smooth academic atmosphere. “The students in other parts of India do not experience the difficulties that we face. They study in schools and complete their syllabus. We have to work hard ourselves because of the situation here,” she said, adding that despite odds, she worked hard consistently.

Sama aims to become a lawyer and help the people in Kashmir fight legal battles.

“I want to study law. My family has faced a lot of injustice fighting legal battles. I don’t want others in Kashmir to face such situations,” she said.

With Sama’s feat, the DPS, Srinagar, has topped among all CBSE-affiliated schools of the state. The school has got 99.5 per cent overall result in the exam.

Officials said 236 students from DPS had appeared in the Class XII exams.

The overall pass percentage in the CBSE exams has improved from the last year’s 82.02 per cent to 83.01 per cent this year.