Jammu & Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha
NEW DELHI: Jammu & Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha on Friday sacked two more govt employees over terror links after an investigation revealed how they had been helping Pakistani terrorists infiltrate via the LoC in Kupwara and also transporting arms, ammunition and narcotics sent by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba handlers, to terrorists based in J&K.Both the employees – Khurshid Ahmad Rather, a teacher in Karnah, Kupwara and Siyad Ahmed Khan, assistant stockman in J&K sheep husbandry – dismissed under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution – were arrested earlier in separate terror cases and are currently lodged in the Kupwara jail. “Incriminating evidence collected against Khurshid and Siyad during a painstaking investigation by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies, clearly established that they were working for banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, while drawing salaries from J&K govt,” a govt source told TOI. Around 77 govt employees have been sacked by the J&K LG so far under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, underlining a zero tolerance approach for both terrorism and the terror eco-system active in the UT.As per the secret dossier on Khurshid, he was appointed as a teacher in 2003 but was working as an overground worker for LeT. He was tasked by LeT handlers to procure arms, ammunition and narcotics for further distribution among active terrorists operating in the valley. Khurshid was in touch with Pakistan-based terrorists Manzoor Ahmed Sheikh alias Shakoor and Javid Ahmed. The investigators found Khurshid had received several consignments containing weapons and narcotics sent across the LoC into Karnah, Kupwara.”Khurshid’s role was exposed after the law enforcement agencies received an input on Jan 25, 2024 that two Pakistani terrorists were involved in smuggling of arms with the help of four associates in Kupwara – Khurshid himself, Zahoor Ahmed, Ghulam Sarwar and Qazi Fazal.An FIR was registered and Zahoor Ahmed picked for interrogation. Zahoor spilled the beans on his network and his associates, leading to the arrest of Khurshid and his aides. Sustained interrogation of Khurshid and his associates led to the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition. Siyad was appointed as an assistant stockman in the sheep husbandry department in 2004. He started working for LeT and was tasked to receive infiltrating groups of terrorists, shelter them and transport their arms and ammunition.According to investigators, Siyad also started smuggling narcotics to sustain terror activities. “He was intercepted and arrested on Jan 12, 2024 at Peer Baba Shrine, Keran, Kupwara… An AK-47 was recovered from his possession,” a J&K police source told TOI. Siyad dossier reveals he was in touch with Pakistan-based handler Basharat Ahmed Khan who used him to smuggle arms, ammunition and narcotics through Siyad and his associates at Keran for use by terrorists to carry out attacks within Kashmir valley. Siyad was arrested in 2024.
