The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday sacked Anees-ul-Islam, grandson of the late pro-Pakistan extremist Syed Ali Geelani and son of jailed separatist leader Altaf Shah, from his post in the state’s Tourism Department for allegedly "aiding terrorist activities" in the state.
Investigations have revealed that Geelani, who died at 92 last month, had got his grandson the job through the back door by arm-twisting the then Mehbooba Mufti government during stepped up violence in the state.
He had agreed to scale down the violence and ease the pressure on the government as a quid pro quo for his grandson’s job. The deal was struck during the protests after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was shot dead by security forces in 2016.
The fact that Anees had gone to Pakistan just a few months before getting the government job was overlooked. The rules clearly state that in such cases a detailed inquiry has to take place before a security clearance can be given for an appointment to a government job.
Also read: Meet J&K’s ‘public servants’ who took salaries from India but worked for Pakistan
The entire procedure was manipulated to appoint Anees-Ul-Islam to the gazetted post even though there was no urgency to fill up the post of researcher in the tourism department that had been lying vacant since 2005.
Anees-Ul-Islam also allegedly helped some people in flying drones in and around Srinagar to film protests.
According to intelligence sources, there is evidence to show that Anees continues to be in touch with three terror suspects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia..
A school teacher, Farooq Ahmad Butt, has also been dismissed from service due to links with terrorist gtoups. He was appointed on contract in 2005 and regularised in 2010. "His brother Mohd Amin Butt is a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, operating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," the source said.
This is part of the ongoing drive to weed out officials with terrorist links from the government as they pose a grave security threat.
As reported by India Narrative earlier some two dozen government employees have been sacked this year for having alleged links with Pakistan-backed terrorist outfits. Ironically, these officials were drawing salaries from India but working for Pakistan.
Grabbing government jobs at gunpoint or on account of the political clout the separatists enjoyed for a long time was a new normal for over 20 years post-1990 in Jammu and Kashmir. All such complaints were ignored by even senior bureaucrats and police officers due to the fear psychosis prevalent in the state.
