LG Sinha sacks 5 more Govt employees for ‘terror links’

Jammu, Jan 13: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, in alignment with his public commitment vis-à-vis the “systemic clean-up of government machinery so as to reinforce its integrity”, on Tuesday terminated five more “government employees having terror links.”

As per official sources, those sacked included a Rehbar-e-Taleem teacher, Muhammad Ishfaq; 2 employees of the Health Department – lab technician Tariq Ahmed Rah and driver Muhammad Yousuf; Assistant Lineman from PHE, Bashir Ahmad Mir, and a field worker of the Forest Department, Farooq Ahmad Bhat.

Since 2021, LG Sinha has terminated the services of more than 85 government employees, who have been “found to be working for terrorist groups.”

Describing the dismissal as a “major move to target roots of terror ecosystem and its infrastructure within government machinery”, the sources within the security agencies pointed out that over the past five years, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha emerged as the “strategic force behind the systematic dismantling of terror networks in Jammu and Kashmir.”

However, they hastened to add that the purging of the system was being done with a balance of resolve and empathy that defined LG Sinha’s leadership.

“Guided by a deep sense of justice, his approach has been both firm and fair. While he has decisively removed terrorists and their enablers from government service, he has simultaneously extended opportunities and dignity to the genuine victims of terror by providing them employment. Compassionate towards the innocent yet uncompromising with terrorists, he has shown zero tolerance for terror and its sympathisers,” the sources asserted.

His (LG Sinha’s) emphasis on dismantling terror structures and cleansing institutions through non-kinetic measures, according to them, was steadily delivering tangible results.

Referring to the threat posed by the terror ecosystem, the sources pointed out, “These active associates, who were planted within government machinery by terror outfits and Pakistan ISI, are time bombs. They infiltrated the system over the last several decades to weaken the government machinery and to jeopardise national security.”

“However, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched a major offensive in 2021 to expose and break the backbone of the terror ecosystem. From financiers to foot soldiers, his decisive and widespread action against all the elements dismantled the terror infrastructure to a large extent,” the sources stated.

Giving a detailed account of employees terminated by LG Sinha on Monday, January 13, the sources informed that Mohd Ishfaq was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem in the School Education Department and later got confirmed as a teacher in 2013.

According to the investigators, Ishfaq was working for Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). He was in regular contact with LeT Commander Muhammad Amin alias Abu Khubaib, a Government of India-designated individual terrorist, who was operating from Pakistan. 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. After the arrest of Ishfaq and his associate, the Police recovered arms and ammunition, and sustained interrogation revealed that Ishfaq exploited his position as a teacher and influenced youth to join terror groups.

“He used his influence to spread radical ideology, motivate youth towards terrorism, and disrupt the peace and progress of J&K. Ishfaq, being a teacher with unhindered access to young and impressionable minds, was a critical asset of LeT. We have received inputs that despite being in jail, Ishfaq continues to indulge in radical activities by indoctrinating jail inmates,” sources revealed.

Second employee – Tariq Ahmad Rah was engaged as a Lab technician on a contractual basis in 2011. Later, in 2016, Tariq’s appointment was confirmed in the Health Department as a Lab Technician. He was posted in the Sub-District Hospital, Bijbehara, Anantnag.

Sources revealed that Tariq came under the influence of terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) right from a very young age. One of his relatives (uncle), 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 into the escape of Amin Baba to Pakistan in 2005.

Investigation of the case was transferred to SIA in September 2023. Investigation revealed that Tariq facilitated the stay of Amin Baba in Anantnag and later arranged his transportation to the Attari-Wagah border.

“Tariq ensured the exfiltration of a wanted terrorist across an International Border. Due to his conspiracy, Amin Baba successfully crossed over to Pakistan and is currently operating from there for carrying out terrorist activities in India,” sources observed.

It is learnt that Amin Baba is currently based in Islamabad, and according to intelligence inputs, he attends regular meetings with ISI, LeT, and JeM terrorists.

“He is responsible not only for training of HM cadres in PoJK terror camps but also for recruiting new youth in the terror folds and for planning and executing terrorist operations from Pakistan. After his role was unearthed, Tariq was arrested by the police under UAPA and later given bail. Credible intelligence inputs indicate that after being released on bail, Tariq resumed his terror activities and continues to remain in contact with terrorists and their supporters,” sources further revealed.

Third sacked employee – Bashir Ahmad Mir, an assistant lineman, joined the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department in 1988 and was regularised in 1996. Despite being a government employee, Bashir became an active OGW of LeT in the Gurez area of Bandipora.

“Bashir was covertly facilitating terrorist activities in the hinterland of Gurez for a long time by guiding the movement of terrorists, providing logistical support, sharing information on the 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,” sources pointed out.

“Anti-terror operation was launched, and both the terrorists were neutralised in Bashir’s house. Two AK-47s and a large cache of ammunition were also recovered. He was arrested and later given medical bail by the court. Individuals like Bashir, embedded deep within the government system, drawing salaries from the Indian exchequer while covertly serving the enemy, pose a dangerous threat to the sovereignty and integrity of India,” the sources said.

With regard to the fourth terminated employee, sources pointed out that Farooq Ahmad Bhat, despite serving as a field worker of the Forest Department in Anantnag, started actively working with terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM).

He was also informally working as a personal assistant of 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. He 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.

“But his terrorist activities have not stopped. He continues to maintain contact with terrorists and their sympathisers,” sources said.

The fifth terminated employee, Muhammad Yousuf, was appointed as a driver in 2009 in the Health and Medical Education department and posted at Bemina, Srinagar.

Investigators said Yousuf was in regular contact with terrorists, particularly Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a Pakistan-based HM terrorist. On the directions of Bashir, Yousuf 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 the Ganderbal district.

On July 20, 2024, Police intercepted a vehicle in which Yousuf and his associate Eashan Hamid were travelling and recovered 1 pistol, ammunition, a grenade, and Rs 5 lakh in Indian currency.

“During the sustained interrogation, Yousuf revealed that he received the consignment at the direction of his Pakistani handler, and it was supposed to be delivered to a terrorist. Yousuf further revealed that he was actively involved in providing operational logistics to terrorists using his official position as a hospital driver. He was also part of a network that provided phones to jailed terrorists to establish communication with Pakistan-based terrorists,” the sources said.

Sources indicated that the action was intended to purge the system of terrorist influence.

“The strict actions by LG Sinha would cleanse the government machinery and reinforce its integrity,” sources said.