Naseema Lanker made history by becoming the first divisional commissioner of Kashmir. Shazia Yousuf profiles the change maker.

Naseema Lanker will always remember August 31. The day she took charge as Divisional Commissioner Kashmir from Masood Samoon who attained his superannuation on the same day. Lanker remembers when she sat in the chair for the first time, “It was 4:00pm.”
Last time Lanker worked in divisional commissioner’s office was in 1977 when she was a probationer who has freshly qualified Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS). That time the divisional commissioner was Mohammad Akbar Khan.
“He was my father’s best friend. I remember as a child playing in his lap. He taught me so many things in this office. Little did we know that this day will come,” she says while staring at a board displaying names of Divisional commissioners of Kashmir with Khan’s name at number 9 and number 32 waiting for her.
Creating history just by being a woman makes this new Divisional commissioner giggle, “You are a lady. You cannot help it. I mean,” she chuckles.
She says that being a woman is neither a challenge nor a blessing. However she feels that a woman can address problems better than her male counterparts.
Born in 1952 in Srinagar to well educated parents, Lanker’s father, A M Lanker was the first IAS officer from Kashmir to have headed Indian Audits Accounts Service. In her childhood, she visited different states of India along with her parents but had most of her schooling in Mallinson Girls School, Srinagar.
Her academic atmosphere at home had strong influence on her education. “I never stood second. From school to university, I would always be at the top.”
Sporty and tomboy in her childhood, Lanker remembers how in spite of being an Arts student she would go for botanical tours with her science student friends. She recalls how she would sit in some garden and watch birds for hours together.
Lanker completed her graduation through Government Women’s College M.A Road in Humanities. Till the completion of her degree she kept changing her subjects. “I had such an inquisitive nature since my childhood, I didn’t want leave any subjects untouched,” she explains.
Exposure to different subjects and sports developed a multi-talented figure out of her. She realized it the day when she had gone to her cousin’s school, “It was New Era School, my cousin was ill and I went to principal with a leave application of my cousin. The principal told me she will grant it only when I will join her school as a teacher,” Naseem says.
She joined the school for 25 days after which she got admission in the post graduate department of English literature in Kashmir University.
After her post graduation she taught in a college for more than a year. The same year she got married. By the time she qualified Kashmir Administrative Services she was a mother. “It was November 02, 1977, I qualified KAS examination,” recalls Naseem.
After the probation period, Lankar was first posted in education department. After that she served in various departments. The most learning, she says was her posting in planning department. “This is the department where you come to know your state and its actual position in terms of resources and needs.”
In 1987, Lanker turned to field and worked in handicrafts department. During her tenure in the department militancy broke out in the state. “My focus was to find the problems our artisans and craftsmen were facing due to turmoil,” she recalls. She did a study on the setback, the handicraft industry received due to conflict.
Later as Director State Resources in finance Department Lanker says she had a first hand view of the state resources and its financial health.  
At that point of time the finance department was preparing for 11th finance commission. Naseem, appointed as Nodal officer, prepared all the required documents and submitted them to government of India. She effectively dealt with the financial crises that the state was undergoing due to turmoil.
This was followed by a brief stay in social welfare department after which she got appointed as District Development Commissioner Pulwama. This continued for two years which according to Lanker were the most hectic but fruitful years in her career. “My priority was local issues of local people. I kept one day for public hearing and addressed people, organized darbaars in Tral. It generated tremendous response. I gave my contact numbers through television and radio and children and women would call me and try to help me with some information,” she says.
Lanker believes that all the developmental attempts made during those years were not constructive because it was the loss of property that was to be compensated first. “In my presentation during a development board meeting I said that my focus is ‘Re’. I will always redo, reconstruct, rework, and rehabilitate. We rehabilitated people, reconstructed hospitals during that time,” she remembers.
In 1993, Naseem qualified Indian administrative services. Before joining as the Divisional Commissioner, Lanker was posted as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Department.
In the Housing department she worked on providing basic facilities to cities and towns. “My priority was roads, drainage, sewage disposal like things. I got many projects sanctioned during my stay but there are many others that I have started. It is not necessary that you accomplish all but at least you should give it a start,” states Naseem.
For all her achievements and success Lanker gives credit to another woman – her mother.

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