Bazaz’s Media Manipulation, Covert Writing advocating Pakistani Narratives, illegal appointment exposed
Srinagar : In a startling revelation, a senior employee of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Sajad Ahmad Bazaz, has been dismissed from his position following allegations of his involvement as a long-standing operative for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and terrorist outfits.
According to the sources, the investigators exposed connection underscores the depth of infiltration within JK’s premier institution, exposing a complex web of dual allegiances and subversion.
Bazaz, once a celebrated writer and communicator, had risen through the ranks within the bank’s hierarchy, all the while allegedly serving as a crucial asset for the ISI’s objectives and the agendas of terrorist groups.
Investigators reveal that the current bank management seemed to have no clue that Bazaz was one of the most important Pakistani assets, secretly working for ISI and terror Outfits. “After abrogation of article 370, the top investigators were probing links of deep ISI assets within the terror ecosystem and the Bazaz name popped up”.
Sources said after a month’s long painstaking investigation they were in for surprises. The investigators said that Sajad Ahmad Bazaz was planted in J&K Bank in 1990 by Pakistan ISI through Fayaz Kaloo, owner and the Editor of Greater Kashmir. Sajad’s appointment was on the post of Cashier-cum-Clerk.
“In 2004 he was suddenly given a jump to a position that was highly suspicious but it did not raise any eyebrows because of the then larger and deeper subversion in the system,” investigators revealed.
They said Sajad was an embedded asset of the terrorist-separatist networks working on behalf of ISI.
Sources also confirmed that Sajad Ahmad Bazaz while being a full-time employee of J&K Bank was also a full-timer with Greater Kashmir as a correspondent-cum-columnist.
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 published. Initially he used ‘Sajjad Ahmad’ as his pen name. 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’.
Investigators said they found almost all of his news stories and columns are centered around justifying and glorifying the secessionist-terrorist campaign in J&K.
Pakistani official line on Kashmir for tripartite talks instead of India’s stand of bilateral talks as per Shimla agreement Sajad wrote in his weekly column What’s Up in 2010.
They said Bazaz has authored numerous such write-ups and opinion pieces in Greater Kashmir that support the Pakistan ISI and Terror Outfits narrative on Kashmir.
“In yet another write-up in his weekly ‘What’s Up’ column, Sajad again dutifully serves the narrative of the adversary by questioning the genuineness of counter terrorist operations of Police and Security Forces, giving an impression as if all the operations against the terrorists have been fake,’ investigation further revealed.
into J&K Bank, investigators revealed that he was lifted from the chair of a clerk to that of a gazetted equivalent post of Editor, specially created for him, sources 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.
“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,” they said in their report.
Official sources further revealed that 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”.
Officials said, 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 the general public to compete for the post.
“Thirdly, despite the best efforts to manipulate things in favour of Sajad, the adversary failed to erase footprints. Fourthly, the officer cadre employees having qualification of mass communication and journalism and who were superior candidates were kept out of competition.
popularizing and amplifying the pro-Pakistan narrative and spreading falsehood against the Indian state.
Investigators further revealed that Sajad Ahmad Bazaz owns and operates as many as 68 accounts within the J&K Bank alone.
“Sajad Ahmad Bazaz is a critical component of the overall terror ecosystem carefully nurtured by the ISI & terror outfits.
“Sajad Ahmad Bazaz is in frequent communication with another lynchpin of this terror ecosystem namely Shabir Hussain Buch of Srinagar (93xxxx5xx3). Shabir Buch is a known close associate of Mushtaq Latram, chief of Al-Umar terror outfit and a constituent member of UJC and a close associate of Masood Azhar, the JeM chief. Latram and Masood are operating from Pakistan. Shabir Buch’s connection with the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi has always been a matter of concern. He was one among the key facilitators in embedding Carin Jodha Fischer, an American citizen of German origin. After operating for about 10 years in J&K, her cover came to be blown as a deep asset of ISI subsequent to which she was deported forcibly, Investigation revealed.
