Ehsan Fazili /Srinagar

It may be a coincidence that two women from the tribal community of Gujjar-Bakerwal of Jammu and Kashmir are in the limelight for their achievements. Dr. Iram Choudhary from the border area of Rajouri has scored the All India Rank of 40 in the UPSC civil services examination and the other is Shabnam Sidiq, daughter of a labourer who lives in a tented house in Tral, Pulwama, and yet secured 93 percent marks in the 12th board examinations.

Gujjar-Bakerwal community is of sheepherders and nomads and one of the backward communities of J&K.

Dr. Iram Choudhary who hails from Darhal village of Rajouri is not only the first tribal woman from J&K to clear the UPSC civil services with a high rank but also the all-India topper among Muslims. She holds an MBBS degree and has cleared her civil services examination on the fourth attempt.

She was also the first woman from her community to become a doctor.

She has not only become one of the country’s top achievers among around 1000 qualifiers but has topped the list of over a dozen qualifiers from Jammu and Kashmir. This was her last attempt while she had qualified for the UPSC with an AIR of 852 in 2023, continuing with her aim to achieve the goal and her commitment to public service.

A local journalist has posted this video about Iram's success on X:

Dr Iram Choudhary from Rajouri has secured Rank 40 in the UPSC exam#JammuAndKashmir #UPSC #IAS #CivilServicesExam
#UPSCResults pic.twitter.com/x2fGHP51MZ

— News Bulletin (@newsbulletin05) April 22, 2025

“She has been a hard-working girl right from her school days and never looked back”, Iram’s father Nisar Ahmad Choudhary told Awaz The Voice from Rajouri town. After qualifying at AIR 852 last year, Iram was allotted Railway Services and has been undergoing probation in (Udaipur) Rajasthan.

“She wanted to do it once more, which turned out to be fruitful in fulfilling her dreams”, Nisar Choudhary, a retired engineer said. He feels elated at his daughter’s unrelenting hard work, which has put her in the country’s top rankers and a topper from Jammu and Kashmir.

Iram studied up to Class XII at Rajouri, a border town located right on the line of control with Pakistan, and always did well in studies. She was selected for MBBS and completed the degree from Government Medical College, Jammu between 2013 and 2019.  She, however, was inspired to become a civil servant and worked for realising her dream.

n Pulwama, everyone is so celebrating the success of Shabnam Sidiq who scored 93 percent marks in the recently announced result of the 12th class examinations by the J&K board of school examinations.

Her success is being celebrated as a triumph of human grit and of a girl with no home, no separate room, and no privileges, and yet, she scored an impressive 463 out of 500 marks in the 12th standard.

No private coaching, no warm room & no internet. Just sheer willpower, raw intellect, and a dream burning brighter than her surroundings. This young Tribal girl, living in a plastic-sheeted home in KASHMIR-TRAL, has shocked everyone by scoring 467 marks in 12th. Such students… pic.twitter.com/qYl9i2qg9G

— Vikas Amin (@Vikasamiin) May 2, 2025

Speaking with local media, Shabnam said, her parents and teachers in the local school have a role in motivating her to do well. She dreams of becoming an IAS officer and wishes the government would help her.

Her family, teachers and parents are elated over her success. In local tradition, she was showered with dates, toffees and garlanded after the result.

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Her father supports a large family through his earnings as a labourer. She lives with her parents and siblings under a tarpaulin tent at Panner Tral, Pulwama.