Policeman Among Three Government Employees Sacked for Terror Links in J&K

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday terminated the services of three government employees, including a police constable, for their alleged links to terrorist organisations. The action was taken under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which allows dismissal without an inquiry in the interest of national security.
According to official sources, the dismissed individuals were linked to proscribed terror outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), and are currently lodged in jail.
The sacked employees were identified as Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a police constable; Aijaz Ahmad, a government school teacher; and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a Junior Assistant at Government Medical College, Srinagar.
Malik Ishfaq Naseer, who joined the police force in 2007, was allegedly involved in terror-related activities and maintained ties with Pakistan-based LeT operatives. His brother, Malik Asif Naseer, an LeT militant, was killed by security forces in 2018.
Despite his position in the police, Malik is accused of exploiting his role to shield his involvement in militant operations. His activities came to light during a 2021 investigation into an arms and explosives smuggling network in the Jammu region. He allegedly provided GPS coordinates to LeT handlers across the border, enabling drone-based weapon and narcotics drops, which he then recovered and supplied to militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
A senior security official described Malik as a “mole within the force,” whose actions represented a grave betrayal and posed a serious threat to national security.
Aijaz Ahmad, appointed as a teacher in 2011, was arrested in November 2023 for his links to Hizbul Mujahideen. He was apprehended in the Poonch region during a routine police check, during which arms, ammunition, and HM propaganda materials were found in his Toyota Fortuner. Investigations revealed that Ahmad was working under the instructions of Abid Ramzan Sheikh, an HM handler based in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He was allegedly involved in smuggling arms, ammunition, and narcotics to militants operating in the Kashmir Valley to facilitate attacks on security forces and civilians.
Waseem Ahmad Khan, serving at Government Medical College Srinagar since 2007, was dismissed over his involvement in a high-profile terror conspiracy. He was identified as one of the conspirators in the targeted killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his two police guards on June 14, 2018. Authorities linked him to the Hizbul Mujahideen network during the course of the investigation.
Officials said the dismissals were necessary to safeguard national interests and security, given the gravity of the charges and the nature of the individuals' involvement with terrorist groups.