New Delhi

Iqbal Rasool Dar, a young man from Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, has qualified for the Indian Forest Service (IFS), the examination of which was held earlier this year.

He is from a remote area in north Kashmir - Jagarpura, Handwara.

With an excellent academic record, Iqbal Rasool Dar has since qualified for the Union Public Service Commission last year and was awarded the Indian Civil Accounts Service Cadre.

At present, Iqbal Rasool Dar is training in Faridabad, Haryana.

Speaking to the local media in Kashmir, he said that he could clear the IFS in his second attempt.

"I am happy to be eligible for this prestigious All India Service. Iqbal has been ranked 69th in India this year. Since IFS is a prestigious All India Service after IAS and IPS, I think joining IFS would be better than ICAS.

Iqbal Rasool Dar, a B.Tech student from Pune, has been preparing for UPSC for many years.

This year no candidate from Kashmir had qualified for IAS or IPS. However, this year Iqbal Rasool Dar has made the name of not only his district Kupwara but the entire Kashmir Valley bright by qualifying for the IFS exam.