Early Times Report
Jammu, May 13: The arrest of a government school teacher for allegedly providing shelter and logistical support to Pakistani terrorists in Kishtwar has once again exposed how terror networks manage to cultivate sympathisers within the administrative system in Jammu and Kashmir.
Instead of teaching students, the accused teacher, Mashkoor Ahmed, is alleged to have arranged safe hideouts, food and other logistical support for dreaded Pakistani terrorist Saifullah Balochi, one of the most wanted terrorists operating in the Chenab Valley and adjoining hilly districts.
Sources said that the assistance provided by Mashkoor Ahmed enabled Saifullah to evade security forces for several months and escape on nearly 20 occasions after carrying out terror attacks in different parts of Kishtwar and neighbouring districts.
Saifullah was killed by security forces in Kishtwar district on February 22, 2026, bringing to an end a prolonged intelligence-led operation, Operation Trashi-I. The operation involved nearly 326 days of sustained surveillance and high-altitude operations in the dense forests of Chatroo and was aimed at eliminating a seven-member Jaish-e-Mohammed module, commonly referred to by security agencies as the “Azrael Group”.
In a major breakthrough, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two persons, including the teacher, for allegedly harbouring and supporting the terrorist group led by Saifullah, which had remained active in the mountainous terrain of Kishtwar for several months.
The second accused has been identified as Muneer Ahmed of Bandeyan Naidgam, Kishtwar.
Mashkoor Ahmed, son of Mohammad Ramzan and a resident of Beighpora, Singhpora, Kishtwar, is posted at Government Primary School, Gujrari, in Zone Chatroo.
According to police, the case has been registered as FIR No. 03/2026 at Police Stati Instead of teaching students, the accused teacher, Mashkoor Ahmed, is alleged to have arranged safe hideouts, food and other logistical support for dreaded Pakistani terrorist Saifullah Balochi.
He was one of the most wanted terrorist operating in the Chenab Valley and adjoining hilly districts.
The assistance provided by Mashkoor Ahmed enabled Saifullah to evade security forces for several months and escape on nearly 20 occasions after carrying out terror attacks.
Saifullah was killed by security forces in Kishtwar district on February 22, 2026, bringing to an end a prolonged intelligence-led operation, Operation Trashi-I.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kishtwar, Naresh Singh, said that a meticulous investigation and targeted operations led to the arrest of Mashkoor Ahmed, who was directly involved in facilitating a terrorist hideout.
“This arrest has disrupted a critical logistical support network sustaining terrorist activities in the region,” the SSP said.
Police said Muneer Ahmed had been arrested earlier for similar offences and that further investigations are underway to identify and dismantle the entire support network.
Investigators alleged that the accused harboured terrorists and provided them with food, shelter and other assistance in the Chatroo belt.
Security officials also claimed that a photograph showing Saifullah Balochi garlanded with currency notes was taken inside the residence of one of the accused.
Saifullah, a Pakistani national, had infiltrated into Indian territory with the objective of strengthening the Jaish-e-Mohammed network in the Chenab region comprising Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, while also attempting to revive terrorism in the hilly districts of Udhampur and Kathua.
Security agencies said he played a central role in infiltration operations, coordinated the movement of terrorists, arranged transportation to safe hideouts, planned attacks and built a network of Over Ground Workers (OGWs).
Over the past year and a half, Saifullah is believed to have masterminded several deadly attacks on security forces in Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur and Kathua districts, resulting in the deaths of Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel, Army soldiers, Central Armed Police Forces personnel and civilians. |
