Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

Anissa Nabi, A civil services officer in Jammu and Kashmir, wears many hats. Fulfilling her responsibilities as a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) officer, she maintains her passion for fitness and promotes it among women and young people.

She qualified for the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services in 2012 by securing the third rank and has held several positions in the government. She is posted as Chief Sports Officer at the J&K Sports Council in the Department of Youth Services and Sports.

“I have always strived to combine my administrative career with a fitness journey. As an athlete, I have participated in State and national (level) races, winning medals in events like 100-meter, 200-meter and 800-meter races”, Anissa Nabi told Awaz-The Voice. She has completed major half-marathons, including Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, Tata Mumbai Marathon and the Dubai Marathon, she said.

Anissa Nabi in her office

Anissa is the Founder of “Wondrous Women”, a community-level initiative to inspire and support women in pursuing fitness, well-being, and mental health. Under this umbrella, she has brought many women towards fitness and sports. She has been serving as a Fit India Movement Ambassador, advocating fitness and wellness across Jammu and Kashmir and beyond, she said.

Anissa added that she is also promoting racket sports like pickleball and Padel tennis in J&K, “especially amongst women by playing and making women learn the sport”.   

Anissa Nabi said that she has played a key role in bringing “awareness among masses regarding the new tax reforms (GST)”, especially taxpayers and tax practitioners as a GST officer, and contributed “towards taxation revenue”.

She has also played the role of a taxation faculty and imparted knowledge of taxation systems to newly inducted Inspectors and officers in the Department. She has also worked with the communities, particularly women, as a State Project Manager in the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM). In this role, she empowered women by enhancing their skills and working on providing them with market platforms and livelihood opportunities.

Anissa Nabi being felicitated at an event

In an effort to keep the youth away from drugs and negative influences, Anissa Nabi, as the Chief Sports Officer, is also working on creating awareness about the benefits of their participation in sports and related activities.

She says various sports events and activities at the UT, national and international levels were being organised to focus on youth engagement.

As a nodal officer for the Khelo India programme, she looks after the Khelo India Centres and their functioning in Jammu and Kashmir.  

Anissa Nabi has held various positions since joining the Government in 2012. She has been posted in the Civil Secretariat, Revenue, State Taxes, J&K Rural Development and the J&K Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM). 

Anissa Nabi as Chief Sports officer

“My Inspiration for civil services came from my father. Watching him serve people while in administration led me to love the services,” Anissa Nabi told Awaz. Her father, Ghulam Nabi Sofi, a senior JKAS officer, retired as Registrar Cooperatives in the J&K Government in 2010.  

“For fitness and athletics, my husband, who is a marathon runner, has been my inspiration”, Anissa added.

Her husband, Mudassir Nabi Sheikh, a businessman, is a marathon runner. “At a stage when things felt hard to do and after leaving my private job after becoming a mother, he motivated and encouraged me to prepare for civil services and believed in me that I would crack it”, she added. Anissa said that her husband has been “a motivator in pushing me towards living a fit life. He also motivated me towards starting a fitness platform or community for women. In 2021, he launched the initiative of the ‘Wondrous Women’ community. His support has greatly helped me to excel at a stage when women usually think of giving up”, she said.  

“Through 'Wondrous Women, ' I have been able to inspire many women to start an active life by pursuing activities like running, yoga, trekking, etc.

 Also, women across various places are connected through this community, where we believe in inspiring and motivating each other”, Anissa Nabi said.

Being a “sports and fitness ambassador and an activist, I always believed in inspiring our youth towards being healthy and to stay away from drugs”, she said. She has held several interactions with the youth in schools and colleges to engage them and “to inspire and guide them towards preparation for civil services through social media engagements and podcasts.”

Anissa Nabi, Chief Sports Officer, J&K Sports Council, is steering Khelo India towards success with her insightful vision! 🇮🇳🏆 #KheloIndia #SportsAuthorityOfIndia #JKSportsCouncil pic.twitter.com/RKdHjnaBK3

— DD NEWS SRINAGAR (@ddnewsSrinagar) August 21, 2025

 She expressed her satisfaction with having been able to develop a positive influence on youth who see me as an inspiration or mentor.

Anissa Nabi at an event

In her efforts to change the lives of youth and women, she gets support from society.

She described it as an accomplishment at a time when the “youth are going towards drugs and other negative things, and women are facing stress and depression due to managing multiple roles”.

Her life changed after her marriage in 2008. She took care of the family and became a mother while continuing to study for the competitive examination in 2010. With her husband’s support, she took part in sports activities. She qualified for the JKAS in the 2010 batch and formally joined the services in 2012.

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Born and brought up in Srinagar, Anissa did her schooling in Presentation Convent and Mallinson’s Girls School. She is an engineering graduate in Information Technology; she holds an MBA degree in HR & Marketing.