J&K sacks Geelani's grandson from govt job over terror links

‘Anees In Touch With 3 Terror Suspects Based In UAE, Saudi Arabia’

- Bharti Jain & Saleem Pandit

New Delhi: The Jammu & Kashmir administration on Saturday terminated the services of deceased Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s grandson Anees-ul-Islam, a research officer since late 2016 at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) run by the J&K tourism department, under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution of India, citing irregularities in his appointment.

Intelligence sources said Anees’s government job was “arranged” as a “reward” for his grandfather’s role in ending the cycle of violent protests that he had fuelled in Kashmir in July 2016 at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI, in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani. The then Mehbooba-led government, through her aide Waheed-ud-din Parra, had offered the job to Anees.

The government had issued an advertisement calling for applications from candidates with MBA degrees for the post of research officer at SKICC. Though 140 candidates applied, no one was called for an interview except Anees. He was selected though he was already working on the same post as an ad havoc staff member, records reveal.

“The appointment was done under pressure, flouting established norms and procedures. It appears Syed Ali Shah Geelani bartered violence for his grandson’s government job,” said a J&K government functionary.