Sajad Ahamd Bazaz
Srinagar: The J&K Bank has terminated the services of a Chief Manager-rank officer for “the State’s security interests” and decided against holding any formal inquiry.
According to a communique, issued by the bank’s MD and CEO Baldev Prakash, Bazaz, better known for his columns in Greater Kashmir newspaper, was relieved of his duties with immediate effect.
The Managing Director said he was satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case in the report received from “credible agencies”, that the activities of Bazaz warranted his dismissal from service under Rule/Provision 12.29 of the Organizational Service Manual (OSM).
“It was determined that, given the State’s security interests, conducting an inquiry in the case of Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, Chief Manager, would not be deemed appropriate or advantageous. In view of this, Mr. Bazaz’s services as Chief Manager are hereby terminated with immediate effect,” a bank communication, quoting the Managing Director, said.
The authorities in the region have sacked over 50 government employees in the last two years under Section 311 of the Constitution. The employees include doctors, engineers, teachers, policemen, and an administrative official. In July, the UT admin sacked the PRO of the University of Kashmir, Faheem Aslam, who also wrote for Greater Kashmir, along with a revenue official and a policeman.
Sources privy to investigations say a 13 page chargesheet has been prepared against Bazaz. Here are the excerpts:
Bazaz was at the pinnacle of his career. A skilled writer, he was appointed as Cashier-cum-Clerk in 1990 and later promoted in 2004 as a head, internal communication of J&K Bank, a public sector entity owned by the J&K Government.
Investigations have revealed Bazaz’s links to Pakistani secret service, ISI. After abrogation of article 370, the top investigators were probing link of deep ISI assets within the terror ecosystem and Bazaz’s name popped up. “After month’s long painstaking investigation they were in for surprises”, the investigators said.
Bazaz, according to these findings was planted in JK Bank as Cashier-cum-Clerk by ISI in 1990 through owner of a local daily.
“In 2004 he was suddenly given a jump to a position that was highly suspicious but it did not raise any eyebrow because of the then larger and deeper subversion in the system,” the findings revealed.
“Sajad Bazaz was an embedded asset of the terrorist-separatist networks working on behalf of ISI and has been an intrinsic and inseparable part of Greater Kashmir since its inception in the early 1990s,” the Investigators said.
They further revealed that Bazaz while being a full-time employee of J&K Bank was also a full-timer with Greater Kashmir as a correspondent-cum-columnist. “This is open knowledge and known to all”, they said.
“Evidence collected by the agencies suggests that Sajad Ahmad Bazaz did not have honest intentions as a parallel employee of Greater Kashmir can be seen in the different names under which he wrote and publish. Initially he used ‘Sajjad Ahmad’ as his penname. He cleverly added one additional ‘j’ and also dropped his surname ‘Bazaz’. Later with passage of time he got emboldened when neither his employer nor the law of the land could take cognizance of his wrongdoings, Sajad added his surname and wrote under byline ‘Sajjad Bazaz’. Additional evidence connecting himwith Greater Kashmir is also available wherein Greater Kashmir had allotted an official e-mail address: [email protected],” the investigators said.
“Almost all of his news stories and columns are centered around justifying and glorifying the secessionist-terrorist campaign in J&K. While some are subtle others are thinly veiled. Sajad through his ground reporting and opinion pieces published in his weekly columns titled ‘Off The Record’ and‘What’s Up’ in Greater Kashmir, toed the Pakistani line of UN intervention in Kashmir, tripartite talks and human rights violations.”
Investigators have copiously quoted Bazaz’s write ups in GK in which he is advocating Pakistani line on Kashmir. Without mincing words Bazaz’s writings, according to investigators suggest: “no matter how hard the Indian state tries in pacifying, accommodating, cajoling, it will never succeed in its mission in Kashmir.”
On the subject of the circumstances in which Bazaz was promoted from a clerk to that of a gazetted equivalent post of Editor, specially created for him, investigators said that on 20th October 2003, a proposal for creating a post of Editor in J&K Bank was placed before the Board of Directors of J&K Bank and was got approved. The following tell-tale aberrations underline that hisappointment to the post of Editor was part of a subversion:
Even before the approval of the proposal by the Board, the bank had already four days before, by way of an internal communication on 16th October 2003 invited applications from the cadre of Cashier-cum-Clerks to apply for the newly created post of Editor.
The eligibility norms were tailored to bring in Sajad Ahmad Bazaz. Firstly, the provision of a written test was waived off. Secondly, the catchment was restricted to the category of cashier-cum-clerk cadre to give an undue advantage to Sajad. In itself, this is a matter of criminal investigation wherein an officer grade post was not advertised and opportunity was not provided to members of general public to compete for the post. Thirdly, despite the best efforts to manipulate things in favour of Bazaz, the adversary failed to erase footprints. In the original scheme of things a requirement had been put in: the candidate should have publications pertaining to banking and finance. Bazaz at the time of his selection had none to his credit. (He wrote some article on this much later to cover up). Fourthly, the officer cadre employees having qualification of mass communication and journalism and who were superior candidates were kept out of competition (it is mentionable that qualification of mass communication and journalism was made a criteria for selection to this post of Editor). Fifthly,and importantly a statutory rule (Rule No.323) of the bank pertaining to Officers Recruitment, Discipline, Conduct and Appeal Rules-2000 was completely ignored. The rule stipulates that direct recruitment of officers outside the normal cadre in the junior management grade for possessing any special knowledge or qualification not available in the bank officers service if made by the competent authority directly out of candidates possessing such special knowledge or qualification if are to be absorbed in the normal cadre of officers service shall be mandatorily required to pass CAIIB examination. Sajad Ahmad Bazaz in gross violation of this statutory provision is the only officer in the entire history of J&K Bank who was extended a silent concession. He till date has not passed this examination and yet has not only been absorbed in the general officers cadre but given three promotions by diverting posts from the general cadre to a ‘one man cadre’ only to benefit him.
Despite open knowledge that Sajad Bazaz was a full time employee of Greater Kashmir even when he was on the rolls of J&K Bank, the interview board comprising the then Chairman of the Bank M.Y Khan, Director Haseeb Drabu, Chief General Manager P.Z Lateef and Deputy General Manager M.A Shah selected Sajad from among a very small group of four on the basis of an interview. The Board also ignored that he was rabidly against the Indian state and an open secessionist. In this context, the stranglehold and penetration of the adversary into the J&K Bank is in itself a matter of comprehensive enquiry.
The subsequent conduct of Bazaz after having been placed in the chair of ‘Editor’ – a position specially created for him in J&K Bank further shows conspiracy and subversion. He empowered with the new authority enriched select local newspapers and news magazines through payment of advertisement money drawn from the coffers of J&K Bank. It is relevant to mention that he owes his selection and placement as Editor in the bank to a clique and coterie, of which he eventually became an important member, who had infiltrated into the governmental system to further the secessionist-terrorist campaign at the behest of Pakistan ISI, they said.
Investigators further said that Bazaz also used the opportunity also to enrich himself. “It is astounding that the management ignored the open clash of interest wherein an employee of Greater Kashmir was also an employee of J&K Bank and in the capacity of the latter he was benefiting Greater Kashmir by sanctioning advertisement money.”
“The data pertaining to advertisement money paid from financial year 2015 to 2023 shows that Greater Kashmir has got disproportionately a higher and favourable allotment than all others including newspapers at par with it in terms of reach and circulation. It is very relevant to bring on record that in and around 2010-12 there was a sudden spurt of rabidly pro-Pakistan news magazines and newspapers other than Greater Kashmir. Discreet investigation has revealed that this is in a major way attributable to Sajad Ahmad Bazaz. What really happened is Sajad who actually had been planted by the adversary in the current position in J&K Bank through Fayaz Kaloo was instructed from across the border to help in setting up additional media platforms that would amplify and echo the jehadi and Pak narrative already being propagated by Greater Kashmir in a far more vicious and vitriolic manner,” investigations have found.
Investigators have also found links between Bazaz and establishment of pro-Pakistan newspapers and magazines like Kashmir Reader, ‘Kashmir Conveyor’‘Kashmir Narrator’ and ‘Honour’ “There are two most striking common features of these news magazines / newspapers: firstly, any casual or cursory reading any of the pages of any of the issues would instantly reveal that the content is all about propaganda and secondly, all were supported by Sajad Bazaz through channeling J&K Bank’s money by placing advertisements.
“Actually each of these projects received seed money to start the venture from Pakistan,” they said.
Rs.2 crores were provided by ISI station head located in the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi for Kashmir Reader. Sajad Bazazhelped in whitewashing this money through the channels of the J&K Bank where newspapers owner had accounts pertaining to his cover business of an advertising agency.
“It is relevant to bring on record that in brazen violation of rules and norms typically seen in scores of cases where the interests of the terrorist-separatist networks were involved, the governmental financial support to media platforms conditional to clearance of DIPR empanelment, all these news magazines and newspapers mentioned above obtained financial support from J&K Bank without having been empanelled by DIPR. Question is: how did these news magazines and newspapers functioned without DIPR assistance. The answer is: Sajad Ahmad Bazaz who opened up the coffers of J&K Bank”, the investigations have found out.
Interestingly, as would happen in real life, jealousy and rivalry broke out between the elements within the terror ecosystem over who is more close to Pakistan and also who would corner the spoils of the proceeds of the businesses that came to be owned during the course of the terrorist-secessionist campaign.
“Fayaz Kaloo ran into Hayat Bhat over advertisement hoarding and billboard business which they had come to own with the support of the adversary and the leverage the adversary had within the local government.
Intelligence inputs show that Abu Qasim a dreaded Pakistani LeT terrorist operating in South Kashmir in 2010-15 was enlisted by Hayat Bhat for supporting his interests against Fayaz Kaloo. This explains as to how and why Fayaz Kaloo despite being a far bigger weight in conventional sense loosing this round to Hayat Bhat. The latter retained his control over the hoarding business. In this episode Sajad Ahmad Bazaztoo sided with Hayat Bhat as most hoarding advertisement of J&K Bank went to Hayat Bhat”, investigators have revealed.
Investigations also found out that Bazaz worked closely with representatives of several terrorist outfits who were placed in Press Colony Srinagar, designated as ‘Publicity Chiefs’ camouflaging as journalists in Srinagar’s Press Colony during 1990s.
“Bazaz worked shoulder to shoulder with such elements in Greater Kashmir for the common objective of popularizing and amplifying pro-Pakistan narrative and spreading falsehood against the Indian state. Several such people, who later fled India and are now operating from Europe as per available intelligence records were duly supported by Sajad Bazaz.
They further said that Bazaz was in constant touch with various ISI handlers through mobile , through VoIP based end-to-end encrypting messaging service called Telegram. Interestingly investigations have revealed one of these handlers Shabir Bukhari’s second most contacted person after his wife was Bazaz.
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