J-K: Mehbooba Mufti slams NC for termination of govt employees over terror links

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 16 (ANI): People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday slammed the National Conference-led government in Jammu and Kashmir for the termination of three government employees over the terror links.
"People were expecting that when the government will be formed, there will be a decrease in the termination of employees, but nothing happened," Mufti told reporters here.
"Of the three officials who were terminated, one of them was Constable Firdaus, who was injured by militants and has 85 stitches on his body," she added.
Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday, issued an order terminating three government employees of the Union Territory over terror links. The employees terminated are police constable Firdous Ahmad Bhat, teacher Mohammad Ashraf Bhat and Nisar Ahmad Khan, an orderly in the Forest Department.
Mufti asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah whether he would give a stamp on the abrogation of Article 370 that ended special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
"I am asking CM Omar Abdullah about the decision made in 2019 in the Parliament and whether he is going to give a stamp on that? If that happens, our case of Article 370 and 35A will weaken. Nothing is normal in J&K, the people of Kashmir are silent but that does not mean there is normalcy in Kashmir," she said.
On the termination of government employees, Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that the decision of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha is "fine" if the employees were given a chance to justify themselves before their termination from the service.
"If there is evidence against them and if they were given a chance to justify themselves, but they could not, then it is fine," Omar Abdullah told reporters here.
"But if this step is taken without listening to them, then the law says that everyone is innocent until anything is proven otherwise. They should be given a chance to speak in the court and if they cannot prove their innocence, then appropriate action should be taken," he added. (ANI)