L-G fires 3 J&K officials for “militant links”; Oppn. protests.

• Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, terminated the services of three government employees in the Union Territory due to alleged links to militants.

• The terminations occurred due to the L-G’s administration’s termination of at least 63 government employees under Article 311 since 2020.

• Opposition parties targeted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his failure to defend the employees and end such terminations.

• The ruling National Conference promised to review the termination orders in its 2024 election manifesto.

• The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) criticized the government for its failure to safeguard government staff jobs.

• Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the move, calling for urgent action to stop harassment.