Srinagar: 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 a 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.
Giving details about the case, official sources said that Faheem Aslam, currently working as Public Relations Officer (PRO) in University of Kashmir, 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 Kashmir Valley.
According to sources privy to investigation, Faheem Aslam, was planted in Kashmir University in August, 2008 by a terror-separatists kingpin as a contractual employee and subsequently he was confirmed. He was designated as media reporter by the University to keep the secessionist-terrorist campaign alive because the University campus was known as one of the epicentres of secessionist activism and an important breeding ground for terrorism as well.
“Further investigation will be launched to nab the kingpin of terror-separatists syndicate, who is said to have operated as a close aide of terrorist Shabir Shah before venturing into legitimate business with seed money received from Pakistan ISI,” sources said.
Sources said Faheem’s appointment was done without any public advertisement, interview and police verification.
Faheem Aslam who had come to be a publicly known secessionist-terrorist campaigner and who by virtue of his write-ups in Greater Kashmir and social media posts made it abundantly clear that his loyalty lies with Pakistan. He had deleted several posts, which campaigned for secession of J&K and its merger with Pakistan, after abrogation of Article 370. These posts have been retrieved during the course of investigation. These posts depict beyond doubt that he is a hardcore Pak Embedded High-Value Asset (PEHVA) of Terror Outfits, responsible for promoting and glamorising terrorism, said the sources.
The sources further said, in one of his posts on Facebook, Faheem Aslam writes on 23 May 2020 which is quoted as under:
“Nothing can ever change one reality; Kashmir will always observe Eid with Pakistan, ALWAYS! That’s for Pakistan, not Kashmiris. We will go with Pakistan. Let Pakistan decide who they want to go with: Choudhary sb or Mufti sb”.
In another social media post Faheem Aslam writes;
“May Allah [SWT] ease the sufferings of Muslims across the globe, especially in Palestine, Kashmir and Pakistan. May the occupation end and occupiers burn in hell. May Allah accept the sacrifices of martyrs, and may Gaza and Kashmir see the dawn of freedom soon. [Ameen]”.
Faheem Aslam minces no words in demonstrating his hatred for the country and mentioning brave security forces as “Indian Occupational Forces”. On 04 August 2015, he posted the following on social media:
“Epitaph on the grave of my cousin from Islamabad (read Anantnag) who was martyred by Indian occupational forces on 27 October 1990. He was 20 years then. Please read the lines once and pray for his soul. May his soul rest in peace. Ameen!!!”, said the spokesman.
According to sources, officials said, while drawing salary from state exchequer, Faheem Aslam was simultaneously taking salary from Greater Kashmir newspaper since 2008. As per inputs, he was given salary in cash to hide his wrongdoings as a public servant. He had taken no permission from University to work with Greater Kashmir.
They said that the content of the writings of the Faheem Aslam leaves little doubt about the intent- to legitimize the terrorism in J&K UT and support secession of J&K from the Indian Union.
According to investigators, Faheem Aslam has remained affiliated with Yasin Malik led JKLF. He would be often seen in the company of such elements inside the campus as well as outside the campus. He also virtually acted as Syed Ali Shah Geelani PRO while working in Greater Kashmir and University, sources said.
“The likes of Faheem Aslam being placed by the adversary of the Indian state in the seat of highest learning is causing the spread of toxic influence of terror ideology in young minds with consequences that are highly detrimental for national security as well as the youngsters,” official sources said.
Meanwhile, 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.
