J-K LG admin sacks three employees for 'anti-national' activities

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has sacked three employees, including the Kashmir University public relations officer, for allegedly working with Pakistan-based militant outfits, raising finances for them and propagating their ideology, officials said on Monday.

The three employees have been identified as PRO Kashmir University Faheem Aslam, revenue department officer Murawath Hussain Mir and police constable Arshid Ahmad Thoker, they said.

The officials said the services of the three have been terminated due to a number of charges, including for allegedly working with Pakistan-based militant outfits, providing logistics to militants, propagating militant ideology, raising finances for militancy and furthering secessionist agenda.

The government has invoked 311(2)(c) of the Constitution to sack the three government employees after the investigation established that they were acting on behalf of Pakistan's ISI and terror outfits, the officials said.

Aslam is a "diehard secessionist" who not only subscribes to and endorses the secessionist ideology, but has been a key propagandist for terrorists and terror outfits in the Kashmir Valley, they said.

The officials said several of Aslam's social media posts demonstrated his hatred for the country and mentioned the security forces as "Indian Occupational Forces".

In three separate orders, the J-K administration said the Lieutenant Governor is satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and on the basis of the information available, the activities of the three are such that warrant their dismissal from service.

The Lieutenant Governor is satisfied under sub-clause (c) of the proviso to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India that in the interest of the security of the state, it is not expedient to hold enquiry in the case of the three, the orders issued by the Commissioner/Secretary to the government, General Administration Department, said.

Accordingly, the Lieutenant Governor hereby dismisses the three from service, with immediate effect, they said.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, while reacting to the development, said the LG administration is "institutionalising a permanent state of disintegration in J-K".

"Criminalising livelihood on preposterous reasons of 'terror links' at a time when the state is reeling from unemployment is only deepening the trust deficit. It's being done by misusing and invoking Article 311(2)b of the Indian Constitution," she said in a tweet.