Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar

Srinagar, Jan 13: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday terminated the services of five more government employees for their alleged links with terrorist organisations, officials said.

With the latest action, the LG administration has dismissed a total of 85 government employees since 2020 after surveillance and intelligence inputs revealed their alleged involvement in terror-related activities.

Officials said the move was aimed at dismantling the terror ecosystem and its support structure within government machinery. The terminated employees include Mohammad Ishfaq, a teacher; Tariq Ahmad Shah, a laboratory technician; Bashir Ahmad Mir, an assistant lineman; Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a field worker in the forest department; and Mohammad Yousuf, a driver in the health department.

All five were dismissed under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which permits removal of a government employee without a formal inquiry if it is deemed not expedient in the interest of the security of the state.

According to official dossiers, Mohammad Ishfaq, who was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem and later confirmed as a teacher in 2013, was allegedly working for Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. He was reportedly in contact with LeT commander Mohammad Amin alias Abu Khubaib and was assigned an operational role, including executing the killing of a police officer in Doda in early 2022. Ishfaq was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police in April 2022 before the plan could be carried out.

Lab technician Tariq Ahmad Rah was found to have links with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen from a young age. His role surfaced during a State Investigation Agency probe into the escape of Hizb terrorist Amin Baba to Pakistan in 2005. Officials said Rah facilitated the terrorist’s escape across the international border.

Assistant lineman Bashir Ahmad Mir, regularised in the PHE department in 1996, allegedly acted as an overground worker for LeT in the Gurez area of Bandipora. He was accused of guiding terrorists, providing logistical support, sharing information about security forces and offering shelter.

Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a field worker in the forest department, was allegedly associated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and had also worked as a personal assistant to a former MLA with alleged Hizb links.

Driver Mohammad Yousuf, attached to the Health and Medical Education Department, was reportedly in regular contact with Pakistan-based Hizb terrorist Bashir Ahmad Bhat. Officials said Yousuf was involved in procuring arms and ammunition and transporting terror funds in Ganderbal district. On July 20, 2024, police intercepted a vehicle in which Yousuf was travelling and recovered a pistol, ammunition, a grenade and Rs 5 lakh.

Investigations are continuing, officials said.