Separatist Geelani’s grandson bagged govt job sidestepping norms

Pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani's grandson Anees-ul-Islam managed to get an out-of-turn job with the Jammu & Kashmir government run by the PDP-BJP coalition in 2016, when Geelani was most active in his militancy, it was reported today.

The Times of India cited highly placed sources saying Anees, was appointed research officer in Sher-e-Kashmir international Convection Complex (SKICC), a subsidiary wing of the J&K tourism department, flouting all rules of the recruitment policy of the state government. The pensionable job fetches an annual salary of Rs12 lakh.

Anees, an MBA from Jalandhar, Punjab, was refused a passport by the state regional passport office on adverse reports from the J&K Police's Criminal Investigation Department in 2009.

He was finally granted his passport following a state high court order. Anees went to the UK for another masters in business administration, sources said.

They added that the state tourism department, directly controlled by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, did not refer the post to recruiting agencies like J&K State Subordinate Services Recruitment Board or the Public Service Commission, as mandatory in the selection process.

Tourism secretary Farooq Shah, who was also the chairman of "senior selection committee", said Geelani's grandson Anees's selection was made after following proper rules."We invited applications from candidates; he was found fit for the post."

However, an official at the Sher-e-Kashmir international convection complex (SKICC) told TOI that the tourism secretary had appointed Anees much earlier. The tourism department decided to accommodate Anees when Geelani was calling for protests and shutdowns, and violence, arson and killings were the order of the day, the official said.

For want of his CID verification, which is still pending, Anees has not taken any salary yet. It will be paid to him after clearance.

One of the applicants with an MBA degree said, "My application was accepted by the SKICC in October 2016, but I was never called for an interview." There were around 140 applications but nobody except a few favoured ones were called, he said.

One of Geelani's granddaughters is working as a crew member in an airline. Geelani's one son, Naeem, is a doctor and was earlier employed in the government health services department.

Naeem's elder daughter appeared for school exams in October 2016 despite a boycott call given by Geelani against attending schools (See: Hurriyat chief Geelani's daughter's school exempted from protest schedules).