A government school teacher from Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly harbouring Pakistani terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group and providing them logistics in the Chatroo belt.
The accused, Mashkoor Ahmed, alias Mashkoor Master of Beigpora Singhpora, Chatroo, served as a teacher at Primary School Gujrari in Inderwal zone. He was appointed as a Rehbar-e-Taleem teacher in 2004 and regularised in 2009.
Kishtwar police chief, SSP Naresh Singh, sharing the details, stated that through meticulous investigation and precise operations, police arrested the school teacher.
Police said the arrest was made under Sections 13, 16, 18 and 20 of the UAPA, Sections 61(2), 109, 147 and 148 of the BNS, and Section 7/27 of the Arms Act.
The case stems from the February 4, 2026, encounter at Dichhar, Chatroo, in which terrorist Adil, a Pakistani terrorist, was killed. Investigation revealed that Mashkoor Ahmed sheltered terrorists and provided food and other logistical support to the Jaish group active in the area.
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Investigating agencies further claimed that a photograph of now-eliminated Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Saifullah Balochi, garlanded with currency notes, was taken inside the residence of the accused. Saifullah Balochi was killed along with two foreign associates during Operation Trashi-I in Chatroo on February 22 this year.
Police called it the first major detention in the post-encounter probe into terror networks in Chatroo. Following his arrest, the accused was shifted to a jail outside the Kishtwar district as a security measure.
Security agencies termed the arrest a major success in the ongoing crackdown on terror networks and overground workers in the Chenab Valley.
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"Efforts are on to identify and trace other suspects who supported terror activities in the area," a police official said.
Further investigation is underway. Officials have not ruled out more arrests.
This is not the first case of a teacher being held for terror links. Several government teachers have been sacked by the Lieutenant Governor's administration in Jammu and Kashmir for involvement in terror-related activities.
"Nothing can be more unfortunate than this. Teacher, instead of channelising the energy of youth in the right direction, is involved in terror-related activity," said one of the locals of Kishtwar.
