Srinagar Municipal Corp recommends probe into illegal appointment of journo’s wife

Srinagar Municipal Corporation has recommended a probe into the illegal appointment of Masrat Yusuf, wife of Hurriyat sympathising journalist Peerzada Ashiq. The corporation said that despite the fact that it had never sanctioned a post named “media assistant” and that Masrat was ineligible for the post it had advertised for, she was appointed owing to “favouritism”.

The executive committee of Srinagar Municipal Corporation in a meeting held on regularisation and continuation of service of employees while rejecting the claim and regularisation of services of Masrat Yusuf has ordered an inquiry to probe the officials who had appointed her illegally earlier. Masrat is the wife of a Hurriyat sympathising journalist who currently works with a reputed national media.

Masrat Yousuf was appointed as a media assistant vide order No 1451 of 2011 dated 26.07.2011. Masarat was appointed despite failing the qualification norms as per the advertised post. She had scored the lowest among all the applicants who had applied and appeared for the interview. According to the order, copy Masrat not only lacked the basic necessary minimum qualification and experience but also scored the lowest among all the candidates.

In September 2022 the Jammu and Kashmir government has terminated the services of Masrat Yousuf as media assistant to Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Masrat was a temporary employee with SMC, said the termination order. Ashiq was very influential in the political corridors of Kashmir when his wife was appointed to SMC in 2011. Ashiq was summoned by the police on many occasions over an inaccurate portrayal of crucial events in Kashmir.

Masarat was engaged for the non-existent post only on the basis of an oral test, in clear violation of norms and procedures. While terming her appointment as illegal her further claim for regularisation and continuation as media Assistant was rejected by the committee. The committee has further issued directions to frame charges against the officials responsible for her illegal appointment.

The government has constituted a committee for scrutinizing cases of its employees allegedly involved in anti-national activities. The committee reviews the activities of persons under the government lens and recommends the termination of their government services if found guilty.

In a major crackdown on the terror ecosystem, the administration sacked senior Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services officer Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, wife of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front’s Bitta Karate, and three others in August this year. The other three included a scientist and a senior assistant professor at the University of Kashmir.

Other senior employees terminated by the government include Syed Abdul Mueed, who is a son of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Mueed was serving as a manager in the Information Technology (IT) department of the Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute.