Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s grandson Anees-Ul-Islam was appointed research officer in 2016

New Delhi:

The grandson of pro-Pakistan Kashmir separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani has been sacked as research officer from a government-owned convention centre in Jammu and Kashmir, sources have said.

The move behind the sacking of Anees-Ul-Islam came after it was found that the separatist who died at 92 last month had “bartered violence for his grandson’s job”, sources said.

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

Just few months before getting the government job, however, Anees-Ul-Islam had gone to Pakistan, sources have said.

“It is learnt that there was pressure from top echelon in the government to appoint Anees and the whole recruitment process was manipulated,” said a person with direct knowledge of the matter, asking not to be identified.

Anees-Ul-Islam also allegedly helped some people in flying 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,” the source said, referring to the protests after Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani was shot dead by security forces in 2016.

“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 a top convention and conferencing facility of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, which is 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 said.

A school teacher, Farooq Ahmad Butt, has also been sacked. He was appointed on contract in 2005 and regularised in 2010. “His brother Mohd Amin Butt is a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, operating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” the source said.