Harassment of Kashmiris exposing fake claims of Centre: Mehbooba Mufti

SRINAGAR, SEPT 24: The Jammu and Kashmir government had sacked six of its employees for having links with terrorists and working as overground workers. Expressing anger at the administration’s move, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the central government was making the people of Jammu and Kashmir “powerless” and suspected them of having links with terrorists who were trying to “destroy” Kashmiris. There’s a new excuse to ‘humiliate and oust’.

Mehbooba wrote on Twitter that there is no end to the decree of the Government of India to make the people of Jammu and Kashmir powerless. The Government of India has been claiming that it is investing to generate employment while it is firing government employees knowing that people in Jammu and Kashmir depend on government jobs for their livelihood.

She said “hounding” Kashmiris endlessly deflates the Centre’s “fake narrative that all is well in J&K”. “Links to militants is the new excuse used to dispossess & humiliate Kashmiris,” she said.

The Union Territory (UT) Government has constituted a Special Task Force (STF) which will scrutinise cases of employees suspected of activities requiring action under Article 311 (2) (c).

According to order number 355 issued by J&K’s General Administration Department, the task force will be headed by J&K’s intelligence chief R.R. Swain, who served for a decade in the Research and Analysis Wing before returning to J&K.

The STF will compile records of such employees, wherever necessary and to refer it for action to a committee headed by the UT’s chief secretary. About 20 Government employees have so far been terminated on links with militants. (PTK)