According to media reports, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has fired three government workers for their alleged ties to Pakistani terrorist organisations. On Monday (July 17), authorities with knowledge of the situation were quoted as confirming the news.

The three workers are Revenue Department Officer Murawath Hussain Mir, J&K Police Constable Arshid Ahmad Thoker, and Kashmir University PRO Faheem Aslam. After it became discovered that they were functioning as the ground employees for the terrorist organisations, the Manoj Sinha government of Jammu and Kashmir UT’s Lieutenant Governor dismissed them from their positions in accordance with Article 311(2)(c) of the Indian Constitution.

According to the Article, if a government employee engages in anti-national acts that jeopardise the peace and security of the country, the President of India or the Governor has the ability to have them fired from their position without giving them the opportunity to be heard.

The choice was made after it came to light that the three were actively collaborating with Pakistani terrorist organisations, aiding terrorists with logistics, promoting terrorist ideology, generating funds for terrorism, and advancing the separatist cause.

According to a statement made by a government official, Republic TV, “the activities of these employees had come to the disfavour of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as they had been found involved in activities prejudicial to the interests of the security of the state.”

Faheem Aslam, a PRO at Kashmir University, has been a crucial publicist for terrorists and militant groups in the Kashmir Valley. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the leader of the Kashmiri separatist movement, put Faheem Aslam at Kashmir University in August 2008, according to people familiar with the investigation.

He was initially hired as an independent contractor and then confirmed. As the university campus was well-known as one of the foci of secessionist movement and a vital breeding ground for terrorism, he was later recruited by the institution to work as a media reporter in order to maintain the separatist-terrorist campaign.

Faheem’s appointment reportedly occurred without any public announcement, interview, or police verification.

He was given an appointment letter without conducting any interviews, holding any competitions, or contacting the police or CID for verification, which is a flagrant breach of the constitution’s mandate to provide equal chance to all similarly situated people for a post supported by the public treasury. Simply put, he was secretly permitted to enter public service through a backdoor, according to sources cited by Republic TV.

Along with being a close ally of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Faheem Aslam was also close friends with terrorist and separatist Yasin Malik, who was given a life sentence by the Special NIA court in May of last year for his involvement in funding terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

“In the violent agitations of 2008, 2010, and 2016, Faheem Aslam played a significant role as an activist, secessionist-narrative peddler, and organiser. He has been in charge of these agitations’ planning and organisation of protests, particularly on the campus of Kashmir University, according to sources.

Faheem is still swaying university students towards secessionism at a time when Kashmir is edging closer to peace with the repeal of Article 370, according to sources, who added that “His move is seen as a threat to national security.”

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul discussed the situation in a series of tweets. He continued by describing how investigations indicated Faheem Aslam had advocated for the secession of J&K and its merger with Pakistan once Article 370 was repealed in a number of posts that were later deleted.

Throughout the research, these posts have been retrieved.

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul tweeted that Faheem Aslam’s anti-national postings “display beyond doubt that he is a hardcore Pak Embedded High-Value Asset (PEHVA) of Terror Outfits, responsible for promoting and glamorising terrorism.”

‘Greater Kashmir’, a newspaper located in Kashmir, claims that Faheem Aslam was promoting his secessionist agenda through his articles.

Faheem Aslam has been receiving money from the Greater Kashmir newspaper since 2008 in addition to receiving a salary from the state exchequer. According to information, he received a cash remuneration to cover up his wrongdoings as a public employee. The University had not granted him authorization to collaborate with Greater Kashmir. According to the information that is currently accessible, he served as a full-time sub-editor and a permanent employee of the Greater Kashmir newspaper, filing reports.

It is important to remember that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids in Srinagar in 2020, including the headquarters of the Kashmir-based newspaper “Greater Kashmir.” The NGO was suspected of exploiting the Hawala scam to support terrorism in the Kashmir valley, and the NIA had opened an investigation into the charges of its fund-raising activities.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police employed Arshid Ahmad Thoker as a policeman, first in the Armed Police in 2006 and later in the Executive Police in 2009. After successfully completing his Basic Recruitment Training Course (BRTC), he was able to transfer to District Srinagar. After that, he mostly continued to work as a PSO/Driver for various police officers, civil servants, and those under protection.

In Sheikhpora Wathoora, Budgam, Mushtaq Ahmad Ganie, also known by the moniker RK, is a devout Over Ground Worker (OGW) for the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist organisation. The father of RK is Muhammad Kamal Ganie.

Mushtaq connected Arshid to the JeM network, and as a result, he became an essential conduit and logistical backer for this lethal terrorist organisation in Budgam and Pulwama, especially in the Chadoora-Kakapora area.

A joint naka of the Police, CRPF, and Army was set up at Dooniwari Bridge to apprehend the terrorists and their associates as a result of specific information received by Police Station Chadoora on May 31, 2020, regarding the suspicious movement of terrorists and their allies in the area of Wathoora and Dooniwara. He and his companions were held during the checking.

It was discovered that he transported the JeM terrorists using automobiles. Investigators claimed that because Arshid worked for the police, he unlawfully and dishonestly took advantage of his position and credentials to become an extremely proficient OGW.

Notably, three government employees were similarly let off in February of this year. In a similar move from the previous year, the government of Jammu and Kashmir terminated five of its employees after learning of their affiliations with terrorist groups like Hizbul Mujahideen, Jamaat e Islami, and Islamic State.