Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, has terminated two government employees having ‘terror links’ from the service in the interest of the security of the state, top sources said. The two employees have been identified as Ab Rehman Naika and Zahir Abbas. According to top sources in the law enforcement agencies in the Union Territory, the LG invoked 311(2)(c) of the Constitution after painstaking investigation by law enforcement and intelligence agencies clearly established their terror links. Ab Rehman Naika, a pharmacist in the health department, and a resident of Devsar, Kulgam, was appointed as a medical assistant in 1992.
His links with Hizbul Mujahideen were unearthed when police officials started investigating the killing of a political person, namely Ghulam Hassan Lone of Devsar. Ghulam Hassan Lone was a staunch nationalist, and all his 3 sons are serving in the security forces. He was killed by terrorists in August 2021. Investigation revealed that Ab Rehman Naika was one of the plotters of killing Ghulam Lone to create terror and a situation of insecurity among the patriotic people.
“Investigation further revealed that Ab Rehman Naika played a pivotal role in nourishing, strengthening, and proliferating conducive ecosystems for secessionism and terrorism, not only in his local area of Kulgam but also in the neighbouring districts of Shopian and Anantnag,” sources in law enforcement agencies said. After Ghulam Hassan Lone’s killing, the police investigation tracked the footprints of Over Ground Workers (OGW) who were providing logistical support to terrorists. Ab Rehman Naika and associates were finally nabbed with a hand grenade and AK 47 ammunition.
During the interrogation, Ab Rehman Naika confessed he had received direction from his handlers in Pakistan to carry out a terrorist attack in Kulgam by lobbing grenades at security forces and political persons. He also admitted that, as an overground worker, his job was to conduct reconnaissance of targets. In the killing of Ghulam Hassan Lone, Ab Rehman Naika and his associates had kept a watch on his movements, and on the day of the killing, he mounted surveillance of the area so that terrorists get a safe passage without getting identified or intercepted.
Sources said during further investigation, we unearthed his role and acts for Hizbul Mujahideen and how he facilitated attacks on police personnel. Zahir Abbas, the other employee terminated by LG Sinha, was a resident of Badhat Saroor, Kishtwar, and a school teacher. Zahir, a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University, was appointed as a teacher in 2012 and posted at Government High School, Bugrana. He was arrested in September 2020 for harbouring three active terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen (Mohd Amin, Reyaz Ahmad, and Mudasir Ahmad) in Kishtwar.
He is currently lodged in Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal. “During the investigation of terror activities in Kishtwar, the role of Zahir as hardcore OGW came to light. As a teacher, he was expected to serve the nation, but he betrayed his country, aligned with Pakistani terrorists, and provided arms, ammunition, and logistical support to terror outfits, in particular Hizbul Mujahideen.
He turned against the same country, which provided him and his family with a livelihood and a life of dignity. After his arrest, Zahir gave the inputs on hideouts where arms and ammunition were stored and also identified two other OGWs, namely Gulzar Ahmad and Mohd Hanief,” sources in the law enforcement agencies further revealed. A top security official said Zahir Abbas was also providing critical information about security forces movements to his handlers in Pakistan.
