Jammu & Kashmir: Separatist Leader Geelani’s Grandson Sacked From Govt Job

New Delhi: Pro-Pakistan Kashmir separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s grandson Anees-Ul-Islam has been sacked as the research officer from a government-owned convention centre in Jammu and Kashmir, sources revealed. Geelani died at the age of 92 last month.

The ouster of Anees-Ul-Islam came after it was found that the separatist had “bartered violence for his grandson’s job”, sources said.

Anees-Ul-Islam was appointed as research officer in Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) under Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department. The appointment was made in 2016 when People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti was the Chief Minister.

Sources said that a few months before getting the government posting, Anees-Ul-Islam had visited Pakistan.

“It is learnt that there was pressure from top echelon in the government to appoint Anees and the whole recruitment process was manipulated,” a person in the know of the matter said.

Anees-Ul-Islam is also learnt to have allegedly helped some people fly drones in and around Srinagar to film protests.

“His appointment was found to be highly irregular… It is suspected that the appointment straightaway to a gazetted grade equivalent position in the government-funded and controlled SKICC was a deal to bring down violence during the Burhan Wani agitation between the then Chief Minister and Geelani,” said the source.

“There was no urgency to fill the post that had been vacant since 2005. But some officers were suddenly in a hurry after Anees returned from Pakistan to look for any vacant position in SKICC. Any assessment by any security agency anywhere in the world under the given circumstances could not have granted security clearance to him for occupying a public position. But he was cleared due to pressure from the top,” the source said.

SKICC is Jammu and Kashmir administration’s top convention and conferencing facility used for high-level meetings and VVIP conferences.

“Technical input suggests Anees continues to be in touch with three suspects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” the source added.

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