J-K LG sacks 3 govt employees over links with LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen

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Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday dismissed three government employees for their alleged involvement with proscribed terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, officials said.

A police constable, a school teacher and a junior assistant in a government medical college were terminated under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which allows dismissal without an inquiry "in the interest of national security". All three are currently lodged in jail, they said.

Over 75 government employees with terror links have been dismissed so far by the LG administration.

Officials said the action is part of the administration's continued crackdown on terror infrastructure, including overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers embedded within government institutions. 

The dismissed employees were identified as 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.

The sacked employees were active terror collaborators, involved in logistics, arms smuggling, and aiding terror operations against security forces and civilians, a senior security official said.

Constable Malik Ishfaq Naseer, recruited in 2007, came under suspicion during an investigation into arms smuggling in 2021. His brother Malik Asif was a Pakistan-trained LeT militant and was killed in 2018, but he allegedly continued to support the outfit while serving in the police, he said.

He used his position to identify safe drop locations for arms, explosives, and narcotics, and shared GPS coordinates with Pakistani handlers, the official said.

Malik also allegedly distributed these consignments to active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. His LeT link was exposed in September, 2021 when J&K police was investigating a case related to smuggling of arms and explosives in Jammu region.

He was not only identifying the safe location, sharing the coordinates with LeT handlers in Pakistan but he was also collecting and distributing arms and ammunition to terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir region enabling them to carry out terrorist attacks on security forces and civilians, a senior security official.

He said that instead of helping the police department in fighting the terror which he was mandated for, he chose to be a mole and a collaborator and betrayed his oath and uniform.

His betrayal of the oath and uniform has caused grave damage to the department, society and the nation, the official added.

Ajaz Ahmed, who joined the Education Department in 2011, was found smuggling arms, ammunition, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen propaganda material. He was arrested during a routine police check in November 2023. 

According to the probe, the arms were meant for militants operating in Kashmir, sent by his handler Abid Ramzan Sheikh, a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen operative based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Ajaz Ahmed was allegedly involved in such activities for several years and he became a trusted terror associate of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in the Poonch region. He was actively helping the terror outfit in smuggling arms, ammunition and narcotics, the officer said.

The terror link with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen was exposed in November 2023 when police arrested Ajaz Ahmed and his friend during a routine check. Both were carrying arms, ammunition and posters of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in his car.

Waseem Ahmad Khan, a junior assistant at Government Medical College, Srinagar, appointed in 2007, was allegedly found to be part of a terror plot that led to the assassination of journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his security personnel in June 2018, the officer said.

The officer said Khan was associated with both LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and provided logistical support for the attack on the journalist. He allegedly accompanied the terrorists and helped them escape after the shooting.

He was arrested in August 2018 during investigations into a terror attack in Srinagar's Batmaloo area. 

Since assuming office in August 2020, LG Sinha has led a focused effort to dismantle the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 75 government employees with terror links have been dismissed so far, they said.

Officials said the administration has tightened the vetting of government recruits, making police verification mandatory. This has reduced internal sabotage risks and instilled fear among potential sympathizers, said a senior official.

The LG's multi-pronged strategy -- targeting terrorists, disruptors, and their enablers in government -- has significantly weakened terror networks in the Union territory, the official added.