Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Nov 5: The Panchayat members in Kashmir today put up a brave face and reacted sharply to the life threat of Hizbul Mujahideen supremo, Syed Salah-ud-Din, saying that they will not succumb to the militant diktats and refused to resign.
The provincial secretary of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference, Bashir Ahmad Malik, while questioning the diktats of Salah-ud-Din during a news conference here this afternoon, said that the Panchayat members have no political agenda and are not working for any political party. “Our concern is to serve the people at grass root level”, he added.
The Provincial secretary urged the Panchayat members across the State not succumb to the militant dicktats by resigning, but put up a brave face and work for strengthening of democracy. “Why such threats are issued to hapless Panchayat members only”, he asked.
The spokesman of the AJKPC Ghulam Hassan Panzoo told the news conference that security is the prime concern for them after the supremo of Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Salah-ud-Din, issued the life threat. “For the last 2 years issue of empowerment was our concern now it has shifted to the security”, he added.
Panzoo said that they will seek Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s intervention if the State Government fails to provide them security in next few days. “Chief Minister should give statement on the security of Panchayat members in two days otherwise apex body of the AJKPC will take final decision on the issue in next few days. We will go to New Delhi and meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the issue”, he added.
He said that around 100 Panchayat members have resigned since Salah-ud-Din issued the threat last week. “We expect more resignations from Panchayat members and killing in the far flung areas in near future”, he added.
“We don’t want individual security to 33, 000 Panchayat members but for only those who feel threatened”, Panzoo said. When asked how many of the Panchayat members need security at this juncture, he put the figure at 1000.
The AJKPC spokesman said that the security is the constitutional right of the Panchayat members and Government can’t deny this right to them. He urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nasir Aslam Wani and Panchayat Raj Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar, to look into the security of those Panchayat members who have given in writing that they face security threat.
The AJKPC spokesman said that militants will gain nothing by targeting them. “We are soft targets as we are without any protection and they should instead target those living under security cover in security zones”, he added.
Panzoo said that Panchayat members have nothing to do with the politics; they are just working for the development of the villages. He said that for past two years Panchayat members have failed to work for the development as they have no powers. He said that they want empowerment, wages and implementation of 73rd and 74th amendment of the Indian constitution in the State.
The AJKPC spokesman said that empowerment will help them to overcome the security threats as people at village level will prove as a buffer against militant threats if “we work for the development of the villages.”
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