Srinagar, June 02: In a decisive move against terrorism’s support structures within government institutions, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday dismissed three Jammu and Kashmir government employees for their alleged links with proscribed terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).
The trio—currently in judicial custody—includes Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a police constable; Ajaz Ahmed, a teacher in the School Education Department; and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a junior assistant at Government Medical College, Srinagar.
The terminations were made under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which allows dismissal from service without an inquiry in the interest of national security.
Since assuming office in August 2020, LG Sinha has spearheaded a firm crackdown on the terror infrastructure in the Union Territory by targeting both active terrorists and their overground workers (OGWs) operating within civilian institutions. More than 75 employees with suspected terror links have been removed from service as part of this effort.
A senior security official said the government employees fired by the Lieutenant Governor were actively working for the terror outfits and helping terrorists to execute terror attacks on security forces and civilians. “Having a mole and a terrorist associate in sensitive positions like the police or medical services is a grave threat—one that the administration cannot afford,” said a senior security official.
Police constable turned LeT collaborator:
Malik Ishfaq Naseer joined the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2007. His brother, Malik Asif Naseer, a Pakistan-trained LeT terrorist, was killed in an encounter in 2018. Security agencies allege that Malik continued terror-related activities while serving in the police force, using his uniform as a cover.
His link to LeT was uncovered in September 2021 during an investigation into an arms and explosives smuggling case in the Jammu region. Officials claim Malik facilitated GPS-guided weapon drops from across the border, shared coordinates with handlers in Pakistan, and distributed arms and narcotics among terror modules in the Valley.
“ 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 said, further adding 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.
“Malik’s disloyalty towards the nation and department by becoming an accomplice and a ring leader of LeT terror outfit has wreaked colossal damage to the department, society and the nation,” the official observed.
Teacher Linked to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
Ajaz Ahmed, the teacher in School Education Department, was working for HM. He was recruited as a teacher in 2011. He became a trusted terror associate of HM in Poonch region. He was actively helping the terror outfit in smuggling arms, ammunition and narcotics. The terror link with HM was exposed in November 2023 when Police arrested Ajaz and his friend during a routine check. Both were carrying arms, ammunition and posters of HM in Ajaz’s Toyota Fortuner. Further investigation had revealed that consignment was received on the direction of his handler Abid Ramzan Sheikh, an HM’s terrorist in PoJK.
The consignment was to be delivered to terrorists operating in Kashmir for carrying out attacks on security forces and civilians. Investigation further revealed that Ajaz had been receiving huge consignment of arms and ammunition for the past many years and delivering it to terrorists in Kashmir valley.
GMC official accused in Shujaat Bukhari’s killing:
Another government employee sacked is Waseem Ahmad Khan, Junior Assistant in Government Medical College, Srinagar. He was appointed in 2007 by Health and Medical Education Department. His terror links with HM outfit was exposed in August 2018.
According to senior officials in the security establishment, Waseem Ahmad Khan was found to be one of the conspirators in the plot that led to targeted killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his two PSOs by terrorists on June 14, 2018. “He was actively associated with the terrorists from LeT and HM, who killed Shujaat Bukhari on the direction of Pakistan’s ISI. He had also provided crucial logistical support to terrorists to carry out attack against CRPF and J&K police deployed at Secretariat in Srinagar. He also accompanied the terrorists during the execution of attack and help them to escape afterwards. He was arrested on August 12, 2018 when Police was investigating terror associates involved in a terror attack in Batmaloo,” the senior officials said.
Under Manoj Sinha, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has strengthened the vetting processes for new recruits in every government department, mandating police verification to prevent infiltration by terror sympathizers. A government official said that termination of terror associates has instilled the fear among potential terror associates and reduced the chances of internal sabotage.
“Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s multi-pronged approach—aggressive counter-terror operations, disruption of terror financing, and purging government ranks of infiltrators—has significantly weakened the terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official said.
