[4] After the formation of popular Government in 1947, Shah was appointed as Controller of Supplies and Prices, a post he held till 1953.
After extended incarceration of nearly eight years and following the 1975 Indira-Abdullah Accord, Shah was inducted as a Minister of State in the Government.
He was later sworn in as a cabinet minister and held portfolios of Transport, Food & Supplies, Trade Agencies, Estate Works, and Power.
He defected from National Conference along with 12 party MLAs on 2 July 1984 bringing down the government of Farooq Abdullah, a move that created a bitter rift between the two families.
Shah had formed a new party, Awami National Conference which also participated in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Elections 2008.