In a continued crackdown on terror networks operating from within government institutions, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday ordered the dismissal of three government employees over alleged links with proscribed terror outfits—Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
According to officials, the dismissed individuals include a police constable, a school teacher, and a junior assistant at a government medical college. All three are currently in jail and have been terminated under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which allows dismissal without an inquiry in the interest of national security.
The employees have been identified as Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a constable in the J&K Police; Ajaz Ahmed, a school teacher; and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a junior assistant at Government Medical College, Srinagar. Authorities described them as “active terror collaborators” involved in arms smuggling, logistics, and aiding terrorist operations.
Constable Naseer, who joined the force in 2007, allegedly maintained ties with LeT militants even after his brother, a Pakistan-trained LeT operative, was killed in 2018. He reportedly identified safe drop locations for arms and narcotics and coordinated with handlers across the border using GPS coordinates. His activities came under scrutiny in 2021 during an arms smuggling investigation.
Ajaz Ahmed, employed with the Education Department since 2011, was arrested in November 2023 during a routine police check when he was found in possession of arms, ammunition, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen propaganda. Investigators claim he had long-standing ties with the group and was operating under the direction of a Pakistan-based handler.
Waseem Ahmad Khan, appointed in 2007, is suspected to have provided logistical support in the assassination of journalist Shujaat Bukhari in 2018. He was arrested later that year during a probe into a terror attack in Srinagar’s Batmaloo area.
With these dismissals, the number of government employees removed for alleged terror links since 2020 has crossed 75, officials said. The LG administration has intensified internal security measures, including strict police verification for government hires.
A senior official said, “The LG’s multi-pronged strategy—targeting terrorists, disruptors, and their enablers in the system—has dealt a major blow to the terror infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.”