Srinagar, Nov 14 (IANS): The government on Thursday approved the appointment of two advisors to Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu for assisting him in running the affairs of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Union Home Ministry gave the green signal for the appointment of Kewal Kumar Sharma, former IAS officer and Farooq Ahmad Khan, ex-IPS officer, as advisors to the LG.

Both Sharma and Khan had served as advisors to former Governor Satya Pal Malik who was moved to Goa for completing the rest of the term as Governor after erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state was split and two separate union territories were carved.

An IAS officer of 1983 batch, Sharma retired as the Secretary Higher Education in the Union ministry of Human Resources Development in February last year.

Sharma, who hails from Billawar area of Kathua in Jammu, is the topper of the 1980 batch of the Regional Engineering College, Srinagar.

Farooq Ahmad Khan, an IPS officer of 1994 batch, was appointed as advisor to then J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik after being shifted from Lakshawdeep, where he served as administrator.

He was instrumental in creation of the Special Task Force, J&K police's anti-militancy wing, in 1994-95 when the erstwhile State was under President's rule.