S Y Quraishi becomes first Muslim Chief Election Commissioner     STAFF WRITER 12:46 HRS IST New Delhi, July 30 (PTI) S Y Quraishi, the new Chief Election Commissioner, is the first Muslim to head the poll panel, bringing with him more than 35 years of experience as a thoroughbred civil servant. 63-year-old Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi, who will have a little more than two years as CEC, has already served the Election Commission for more than four years and has a solid grounding in the institution that has earned a name for conducting free and fair elections. A product of St Stephen's College in Delhi, Quraishi joined the IAS in 1971 and had worked in the governments both at the Centre and state levels. He had earned distinction for his study of modern Persian, Arabic and German languages before joining the civil service. Later in his career, Quraishi received a Ph.D for his thesis on "Role of Communication and Social Marketing in Development of Women and Children".