Shadow Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 23:
All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Monday staged a noisy protest against the frequent terror attacks on the elected members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and urged the UT administration for immediate review of security audit of PRI members.
Scores of Sarpanches and Panches led by UT president of AJKPC Anil Sharma raised slogans against the Pakistan-based ISI and other terror organisations for targeting innocent Panchayat members in their attempt to sabotage grassroots level democracy.
“Yesterday again, a Sarpanch in Baramulla Narinder Kaur’s residence was targeted with a grenade. In the last two weeks, around eight Panchayat members have been targeted which has created fear psychosis among elected Sarpanches and Panches especially in Kashmir Valley,” Anil Sharma said while launching a scathing attack on Pakistan and its sponsored terror groups.
The AJKPC chief said that Pakistan-based ISI and other terror organisations headed by Syed Salah-ud-din, Masoor Azhar and Hafeez Sayed have apparently launched a terror campaign to target elected PRI members in J&K under their mission of sabotaging grassroots level democracy.
“We want to convey to these terror groups that the elected Panchayat members would not succumb to their pressure tactics and stand firm to serve their people. At the same time, we make a fervent appeal to the UT administration to conduct an immediate review of security threats to PRI members to ensure their fool-proof safety in all vulnerable areas,” Sharma said.
He said the frequency of terror attacks on elected PRI members have increased during the last few weeks and there was an immediate need to conduct security audits of Panchayat members in vulnerable pockets in both the divisions of Jammu and Kashmir.
The AJKPC leader urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha that the Principal Secretary Home, Shaleen Kabra should be directed for immediate clearance of all pending files of Panchayat members who have demanded security cover in view of terror threats to them.
“The files of Panchayat members with a request for security cover should be cleared on priority so that this bloodshed is stopped immediately.
