Shafi Pandit elected president of Youth Hostels Association of

Former Jammu and Kashmir bureaucrat Mohd. Shafi Pandit was elected the national president of the Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI), which is part of a leading international youth accommodation network.

As many as 158 members of the YHAI national council took part in the triennial election of office-bearers.

Pandit, the first Kashmiri Muslim to join the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by direct recruitment in 1969, was the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission.

S Venkat Narayanan was elected the national chairman and Manoj Johri the national treasurer of the YHAI.

Ashok Golane, Kiran V Natekar, C D Vivekanandan and Evarard D Nongsiang have been elected national vice-presidents of YHAI.