Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Friday terminated the services of two government employees in Kupwara district for terror links with the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
The employees whose services were terminated are Siyad Ahmad Khan of Keran, who worked as an assistant stock man in the sheep husbandry department, and Khurshid Ahmad Rather of Nawah Gabra Karnah in Kupwara. Both were arrested in Kupwara last year for their links with the terror outfits.
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”.
This is the fourth 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 77 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.
Siyad Ahmad Khan was employed in the sheep husbandry department in 2024, an official said, adding that he was assigned to receive an infiltrating group from Pakistan and sheltering them. “He was intercepted and arrested on January 24 last year at the Peerbaba shrine in Keran by a joint team of the police and the army. An AK assault rifle was recovered from him, which he was carrying for a terrorist. Arms and ammunition were also recovered from his accomplice Rafaqat Ahmad,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
Khurshid Ahmad was appointed as a Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) in the education department in 2003 and officials said he was actively working as an LeT conduit and was arrested last year along with weapons.
{{/usCountry}}Khurshid Ahmad was appointed as a Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) in the education department in 2003 and officials said he was actively working as an LeT conduit and was arrested last year along with weapons.
{{/usCountry}}Sources in the government said that Khurshid was working as an overground LeT worker. “He (Khurshid) became an active conduit for terrorist activities of the LeT and investigations revealed that he was given an assignment to procure arms, ammunition and narcotics by LeT handlers based in Pakistan for further distribution among terrorists operating in the Valley,” the official said.
He said that Khurshid was in touch with Pakistan-based handlers Manzoor Ahmed Sheikh, alias Shakoor, and Javid Ahmed.
“Investigations revealed that he had received several consignments containing weapons and narcotics through the Line of Control at Karnah. The weapons were supplied to active terrorists, while the proceeds from the narcotic sale were used to fund terror operations. His role was exposed after law-enforcement agencies received an input in January 2024 that two Pakistani terrorists were involved in smuggling arms with the help of four accomplices in Kupwara. The four, namely Khurshid Ahmad Rather, Zahoor Ahmed, Ghulam Sarwar and Qazi Fazal, were picked up and during questioning, the network got exposed. A case was registered and Khurshid was arrested,” the source said.
A cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK type (short) MP 5 rifles, an AK-47 rifle, two pistols, five MP 5 magazines, two pistol magazines, an AK-47 magazine and 20 AK-47 rounds were recovered from them.
In June this year, lieutenant governor Sinha had sacked three government employees, including a police constable, for their terror links.
On November 30 last year, he terminated the services of two government officials for their involvement in anti-national activities and terror links.