Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory (UT) of J&K Manoj Sinha has ordered the dismissal of three government employees for their links with terrorist organisations. The dismissed employees were working for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb ul Mujahideen (HM), according to intelligence reports.
Since taking office in August 2020, Sinha has used Article 311 of the Constitution for dismissed many employees who had adverse reports against them. Yet, they were drawing their salaries from the exchequer due to systematic weakness. In sharp contrast to that, Sinha has hit hard against terrorism’s infrastructure by targeting both active terrorists and their support networks. A very large number of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and sympathizers of terrorists embedded in various government institutions have been systematically found out and then dismissed during Sinha’s stewardship.
To take on secessionists and terrorists, Sinha has given clear instructions to launch aggressive counter-terrorism operations. The second prong of his action been termination of more than 75 OGWs and terror associates from government jobs under Article 311(2)(c) of the Indian Constitution. He has pledged to root out terrorism and their support structures, ensuring strict action against terrorists and their aides.
The dismissed employees were Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a police constable; Ajaz Ahmed, a teacher in the School Education Department and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a Junior Assistant in Government Medical College, Srinagar. They are presently in jail for their anti-national activities. The dismissed employees were actively working for terror outfits and helping terrorists.
Malik Ishfaq Naseer was recruited as a constable in J&K Police in 2007. His brother Malik Asif Naseer, a Pak-trained LeT terrorist was killed by security forces in 2018. Ishfaq, however, continued his terror activities with impunity and his LeT link was exposed in September 2021 when J&K police was investigating a case related to smuggling of arms and explosives in the Jammu region.
“Malik’s disloyalty towards the nation and department by becoming an accomplice and a ring leader of LeT terror outfit has wreaked colossal damage to the department, society and the nation,” a senior security official said.
Ajaz Ahmed, the teacher in the School Education Department, was working for HM. He was recruited as a teacher in 2011. He became a trusted terror associate of HM in the Poonch region. He was actively helping the terror outfit in smuggling arms, ammunition and narcotics. The terror links with HM were exposed in November 2023 when police arrested Ajaz and his friend during a routine check. Both were carrying arms, ammunition and posters of HM in Ajaz’s vehicle.
Further investigation had revealed that consignment was received on the direction of his handler Abid Ramzan Sheikh, HM terrorist based somewhere in Pakistan Occupied J&K (POJK). The consignment was to be delivered to terrorists operating in Kashmir for carrying out attacks on security forces and civilians.
The third government employee sacked on June 4, is Waseem Ahmad Khan, Junior Assistant in Government Medical College, Srinagar. He was appointed in 2007 by the Health and Medical Education Department. His terror links with HM outfit were exposed in August 2018. According to senior officials in the security establishment, Waseem was found to be one of the conspirators in the plot that led to the targeted killing of Journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his two PSOs by terrorists on June 14, 2018.
“He was actively associated with the terrorists from LeT and HM, who killed Shujaat Bukhari on the direction of Pakistan’s ISI. He had also provided crucial logistical support to terrorists to carry out attacks against CRPF and J&K police deployed at Secretariat in Srinagar. He also accompanied the terrorists during the Page 2 of 3 execution of attack and helped them to escape afterwards. He was arrested on August 12 2018 when Police were investigating terror associates involved in a terror attack in Batmaloo,” the senior officials said.
