In a major action against terror-linked networks within the administration, five government employees in Jammu and Kashmir have been dismissed from service after investigations established their involvement in supporting terrorist activities, official sources said.
The move is part of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s intensified crackdown on terror associates allegedly embedded within government machinery to undermine governance and pose a threat to national security. Since 2021, a total of 85 government employees have been sacked in Jammu and Kashmir on similar charges, the sources added.
Those dismissed include Mohd Ishfaq, a government school teacher; Tariq Ahmad Shah, a laboratory technician; Bashir Ahmad Mir, an assistant lineman; Farooq Ahmad Bhat, a field worker in the forest department; and Mohd Yousf, a driver.
According to the investigation, Mohd Ishfaq was actively working for Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and had been assigned the task of assassinating a police officer in 2022. He was arrested before he could carry out the attack. Probes revealed that Ishfaq misused his position as a teacher to radicalise young minds and recruit them into extremist ideology.
“He exploited his influence to spread radical ideology and motivate youth towards terrorism with the objective of disrupting peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir. As a teacher with direct access to young and impressionable minds, he was a critical asset for LeT,” a source said, adding that intelligence inputs indicate Ishfaq continues to indoctrinate fellow inmates even while lodged in jail.
Officials said the ongoing action underscores the administration’s zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism and its support networks, particularly those attempting to operate from within government institutions.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
