Top Kashmir militant Bitta Karate's wife, Hizbul chief's son among 4 sacked from govt service

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday sacked four of its employees, including the son of Syed Salahuddin, the chief of banned Hizbul Mujahideen, and the wife of terror-funding accused Bitta Karate, officials said.

All the four employees were dismissed from service under Article 311 of the Constitution which enables the government to sack its employees without an inquiry.

Farooq Ahmed Dar, alias Bitta Karate, is currently in judicial custody in terror-funding cases, officials said. His wife Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services officer, was posted in the Directorate of Rural Development.

Syed Abdul Mueed, Manager, Information and Technology at Department of industries and Commerce, is son of Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based chief of banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

The others dismissed are: Dr Muheet Ahmad Bhat, Scientist; and Majid Hussain Qadiri (senior Assistant Professor) in Kashmir University.

Who is Bitta Karate?

Farooq Ahmed Dar, known by his nom de guerre Bitta Karate, is a Kashmiri-separatist militant, who currently serves as the chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front in the Kashmir Valley.

Dar has admitted on camera to the killing of multiple Kashmiri Hindu Pandits during the 1990 Kashmir insurgency leading up to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.

However, he later claimed that he hadn't killed any Pandits and that the statement was made under duress. He was imprisoned from 1990 until 2006 under terrorism-related charges before being released on bail. He was arrested again in 2019 for financing terrorism.

In the movie The Kashmir Files, the principal villain role is played by Chinmay Mandlekar as Farooq Ahmed, aka Bitta Karate. It is said that the "karate" name he earned was due to his mastery of martial arts.

Who is Syed Salahuddin?

Mohammad Yusuf Shah, commonly known as Syed Salahuddin, is the head of Hizbul Mujahideen, a separatist organization operating in Kashmir.

He also heads the United Jihad Council, a Pakistan-based conglomeration of jihadist militant groups sponsored by the ISI, with the goal of merging Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan.

Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces."

He is listed on the Most Wanted List of India's National Investigation Agency. He is also listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department Of State.

Salahuddin dismissed the listing as "a joint move by the US, Israel, and India to express their animosity towards Pakistan."

(with inputs from PTI)