Farooq Khan, KK Sharma chosen to assist LG Murmu

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 14

The Union Home Ministry has appointed retired IAS officer KK Sharma and retired IPS officer Farooq Khan as new Advisers to Lieutenant-Governor of J&K Union Territory (UT) Girish Chandra Murmu to assist him for discharging his duties effectively.

Both Sharma and Khan had earlier served as Advisers to the former Governor of erstwhile J&K state, Satya Pal Malik.

According to an order issued by the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday, the new Advisers would “assist the Lieutenant-Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for effective discharge of his functions during the period of Statutory Order (SO) notified on October 31 or until further orders”.

Khan, 65, had resigned as Administrator in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep before joining as Adviser to the former Governor of J&K. He started his career in the J&K Police as a sub-inspector in 1984 and elevated to the post of Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Khan was instrumental in playing a key role in curbing militancy in the 1990s and he is considered as a close confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The retired Indian Police Service officer, who belongs to border district Poonch, was Deputy Inspector General of the Jammu region and led crack teams to end a siege laid by militants at the famous Raghunath Temple in 2003. After his retirement in 2013, Khan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014.

The 61-year-old Sharma, a 1983-batch IAS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Mizoram Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, belongs to Billawar town of Kathua.

During his service career spanning around 30 years, Sharma has held various positions, including the Chief Secretary of Delhi and Goa. He also served as Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) before his retirement. He has also served as Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh Union Territory.