E-Paper
Five more J&K govt employees sacked for suspected terror links
Since abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the J&K govt terminated services of 85 govt employees for having links with separatists, terror bodies
Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday terminated the services of five more government employees in Anantnag, Doda Srinagar and Bandipora districts for suspected terror links.
The employees whose services were terminated are Mohammad Ishfaq (teacher), Tariq Ahmad Rah (laboratory technician), Bashir Ahmad Mir (assistant lineman), Farooq Ahmad Bhat (field worker, forest department), Mohammad Yousf driver (health and medical education department).
Although the action comes under the purview of LG, this is the sixth termination of government employees since Omar Abdullah took over as the chief minister in October last year. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the J&K government has terminated the services of 85 government employees for having links with separatists and terror organisations. Opposition political parties and ruling National Conference leaders have termed these terminations as “vendetta” against local residents.
Law-enforcement agencies of the union territory and the lieutenant governor invoked Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which allows dismissal without an inquiry “in the interest of national security”.
Teacher worked for Lashkar
Official sources said that Mohammed Ishfaq was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem in the school education department and later got confirmed as a teacher in 2013. They said that according to the investigators, he was allegedly working for Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and was in regular contact with LeT commander Mohammad Amin alias Abu Khubaib, a Government of India designated individual terrorist, who is operating from Pakistan.
Sources said Ishfaq was given an active operational role by LeT and he was tasked to execute the killing of a police officer in Doda in early 2022. “His activities were put under surveillance by security and intelligence agencies and sustained monitoring revealed that he was helped in the terror activities by certain OGWs of LeT. He was arrested in April 2022 by the J&K Police before he could execute the plan with the help of an OGW based in Marheen,” they said.
An official said that police had recovered arms and ammunition and sustained interrogation revealed that he exploited his position as a teacher and influenced youth to join terror groups.
Lab technician with Hizb link
Tariq Ahmad Rah, a laboratory technician , was engaged on contractual basis in 2011 and later in 2016 his appointment was confirmed in the Health Department and posted in Sub District Hospital, Bijbehera, Anantnag.
Sources said he allegedly came under the influence of terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) right from a very young age.
“One of his uncles, Amin Baba alias Abid, was also divisional commander of HM from 1998-2005. According to investigators, Tariq’s terror link emerged during the State Investigation Agency (SIA) probe in the escape of Baba to Pakistan in 2005. Investigation of the case was transferred to SIA in September 2023. Investigation revealed that Tariq had facilitated the stay of Amin Baba in Anantnag and later arranged his transportation to Attari-Wagah border and ensured exfiltration of Baba across an international border who is based and attended meetings of terror groups on regular basis. Tariq was arrested by the police under UAPA, however, got a bail,” the official sources said.
Asst lineman OGW for LeT
Bashir Ahmad Mir (assistant lineman) joined the public health engineering (PHE) department in 1988 and was regularised in 1996. He allegedly became an active OGW of LeT in the Gurez area of Bandipora. “Bashir was covertly facilitating terrorist activities in the hinterland of Gurez since long by guiding the movement of terrorists, providing logistical support, sharing information on movement of security forces and providing shelter to terrorists. His role came to light in September 2021 when police received inputs that two LeT terrorists were hiding in Bashir’s house. Anti-terror ops were launched and both the terrorists were neutralised in Bashir’s house,” the official source said.
Two AK-47 and a large cache of ammunition was also recovered. He was arrested and later given medical bail by the court.
Field worker, driver with Hizb links
Farooq Ahmad Bhat (field worker, forest department), sources said, started working with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
“He was also informally working as personal assistant to a former MLA with ties to HM. Farooq, investigators, said helped Tariq to plan and execute the escape of HM commander Amin Baba to Pakistan and used his government identity card to avoid security checks on nakas and dropped Amin Baba at the international border. In this conspiracy, the former MLA provided an official government Gypsy with his personal security officers and driver. Farooq was arrested in 2024 and later got bail in 2025 from the court.”
Mohammed Yousf ( driver, health and medical education department) was appointed as a driver in 2009 and posted at Bemina, Srinagar.
Investigators said Yousf was allegedly in regular contact with terrorists, particularly his Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Pakistan-based HM terrorist. “On the direction of Bashir, Yousf established links with HM cadres and operatives sitting in Pakistan and entrusted with core tasks, including procurement of arms and ammunition and transporting funds in the areas of Ganderbal,” they said.
On July 20, 2024, police intercepted a vehicle in which Yousf and his associate Eshan Hamid was travelling and allegedly recovered 1 pistol, ammunition, grenade and ₹5 lakh.
“During the sustained interrogation, Yousf revealed that he received the consignment on the direction of his Pakistani handler and it was supposed to be delivered to a terrorist,” sources said, adding that he also revealed that he was actively involved in providing operational logistics to terrorists using his official position as hospital driver.
“He was also part of a network which provided phones to jailed terrorists to establish communication with Pakistan-based terrorists.”
