J&K LG terminates 2 Govt employees over terror links

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday terminated the services of two more Government employees for their alleged links with pro-Pakistan terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

So far, more than 90 Government employees with alleged terror links have been dismissed in Jammu and Kashmir.

The dismissals were carried out under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution as part of the administration’s “zero-tolerance to terror” policy.

One of the employees whose services have been terminated have been identified as Farhat Ali Khanday, a Class-IV employee in the education department in Ramban district.

According to the dossier, Khanday was allegedly working for Hizbul Mujahideen and using his Government position as a cover to revive militant activities and build networks in the region.

According to sources, Khanday first came under the radar of security agencies in 2011 during investigations into a hawala network involved in distributing funds to families of militants.

He was arrested the same year but later secured bail and allegedly continued his activities.

Investigations revealed that he remained in contact with militant networks and acted as a facilitator. A chargesheet was filed against him in a special court in 2022, they said.

“We didn’t know that Farhat was working for Hizbul Mujahideen until April 2011. His name came out during the interrogation of a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, who was nabbed by Jammu and Kashmir Police for distributing terror money to seven terrorist families. Police picked up Farhat and put him behind bars, but in October 2011, he managed to get bail and continued his terror activities,” official sources revealed.

The second employee, Mohammad Shafi Dar from Bandipora, was working in the rural development department and had been appointed on compassionate grounds, officials said.

He was allegedly acting as a terror associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba, providing logistical and operational support, including arranging safe houses, facilitating movement of militants, and sharing sensitive information about security forces, they added.

Dar was apprehended in April 2025 during a joint naka check. Arms and ammunition, including an AK-56 rifle and a grenade, were recovered from his possession, sources said.

Further investigation suggested that he had become an active operational associate and was allegedly involved in planning attacks on security forces.