SRINAGAR — In a major action against the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territory administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has terminated the services of five government employees for their alleged involvement in militancy-related activities.
Officials said the decision was taken after sustained investigations established their links with Pakistan-based militant outfits and their role in providing logistical, ideological and operational support to militancy in the Union Territory.
The terminated employees include a government school teacher, a laboratory technician, an assistant lineman, a Forest Department field worker and a driver in the Health and Medical Education Department.
Officials said Mohammad Ishfaq, a government teacher appointed under the Rehbar-e-Taleem scheme and confirmed in 2013, was found to be working for the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. Investigations revealed that he was in regular contact with LeT commander Mohammad Amin alias Abu Khubaib, a Government of India-designated militant operating from Pakistan.
According to officials, Ishfaq was tasked with executing the killing of a police officer in Doda in early 2022. He was placed under surveillance and arrested in April 2022 in Marheen before the plan could be executed. Arms and ammunition were recovered from him and his associate. Interrogation revealed that he exploited his position as a teacher to radicalise youth and spread militant ideology. Officials said he continues to radicalise inmates from jail.
Another terminated employee, Tariq Ahmad Rah, a laboratory technician at Sub District Hospital Bijbehara, Anantnag, was found to have links with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. Officials said he facilitated the escape of Hizb commander Amin Baba to Pakistan in 2005 by arranging logistics and transport up to the Attari Wagah border. Despite his arrest and subsequent bail, intelligence inputs indicated his continued involvement in militant activities.
Officials said Bashir Ahmad Mir, an assistant lineman in the PHE department, functioned as an active LeT overground worker in Gurez, Bandipora. His role came to light during a 2021 anti-militancy operation at his residence, during which two militants were neutralised and weapons recovered. He was later arrested and released on medical bail.
Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a Forest Department field worker, was also terminated for aiding Hizb militants. Officials said he assisted in facilitating Amin Baba’s escape by using his government identity to bypass security checkpoints and maintained continued contact with militant sympathisers even after being released on bail.
The fifth employee, Mohammad Yousuf, a driver in the Health and Medical Education Department, was found to be in contact with Pakistan-based Hizb handlers. Officials said he was involved in transporting arms, funds and communication devices for militants. In July 2024, police intercepted his vehicle and recovered a pistol, ammunition, a grenade and cash amounting to five lakh rupees, which was meant for militants.
Officials said the action reflects the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards militancy and those aiding it from within the system, adding that employees found working against national security will face strict consequences.
https://kashmirpulse.com/jk/jk-govt-terminates-five-employees-over-alleged-terror-links/114219.html
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