The Jammu and Kashmir administration, on Saturday, dismissed six government officials, including five policemen, for their alleged involvement in financing terrorism through drug sales.
The investigation revealed that the dismissed officials were part of a sophisticated narco-terror network, that is linked to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and various other terror groups operating from the country.
“Six government officials, including five policemen and a teacher, were found involved in terror financing through drug sales,” an official told the PTI.
The profits received from financing the flow of narcotics, were channelled into funding terrorist activities.
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the staff involved have been identified as head constable Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, constable Khalid Hussian Shah, constable Rehmat Shah, constable Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo, constable Saif Din, and government teacher Nazam Din.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha invoked Article 311(2)(c) of the Indian Constitution to terminate the employees, with immediate effect. This article gives the government the power to sack employees without an inquiry if the President or the governor, as the case may be, is satisfied that an inquiry would not be necessary, in the interest of the security of the state.
With the current dismissal, the administration has laid back a total of 70 government employees on similar grounds since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
A similar incident had happened in June 2024, when four government employees had been terminated for their alleged involvement in narco-terrorism. The accused were identified as police constables Mushtaq Ahmad Pir and Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, junior assistant Bazil Ahmad Mir from the school education department, and Mohd. Zaid Shah from the rural department, who worked at the village level.
The four were “acting on behalf of terror outfits” as the law enforcement and intelligence agencies collected “incriminating material evidence” against them, said the officials, reported HT.
Drugs such as heroin and brown sugar, are not cultivated in Indian territory. These drugs are inextricably linked with terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, as every gram that is peddled or consumed in India, can be traced back to Pakistan. Pakistan sources these drugs to India through several networks, some people told the ANI.
