J-K resident Athar secures second rank in Civil Services

Jubilant after making it to the second rank in the coveted Civil Services final list for this year, Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan on Tuesday said his grandfather has been his greatest source of motivation.

The 23-year-old IIT graduate, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag District, told ANI that he was not expecting such a high rank.

"I was not expecting the second rank, but I did expect a good result. My grandfather has been biggest motivation for me," he said.

"Many candidates from Kashmir are now trying for civil services. I think this is a positive trend. I hope whatever responsibilities I am given, I would be able to fulfill them with best of my capabilities," he added.

Khan, who has done B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Mandi and passed out in 2014, said this was his second attempt at the civil service exams.

He was also selected earlier but got a lower rank and got into the Indian Railway Traffic Service.

Delhi-based Tina Dabi topped the exam, followed by Khan and Delhi's Jasmeet Singh Sandhu.

Artika Shukla and Shashank Tripathi secured the fourth and fifth positions respectively in the examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).