Shadow Correspondent
jammu, Jan 30:
Shafiq Mir a known face of Panchayats in the state of Jammu and Kashmir has again been elected as chairman of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat conference here on Wednesday at winter capital Jammu. Re-election of the organisation was held at Jammu on Wednesday in which large nummber of newly elected Sarpanches and Panches from all the twenty two districts of the state participated and gave voice vote in favor Mr Shafiq Mir as state head of the organisation for next term of the Panchayats in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pertinently, Mir was head of the Panchayats body in the state during previous tenure of Panchayats too. And he is credited of convincing the central government for holding Panchayat elections in the state of Jammu and Kashmir when all major political parties had boycotted these polls.
On this occasion, two provincial presidents were also elected. Mr Aftab Ahmed Beg has been elected as provincial president Kashmir while Mr Arun Kumar Sharma was elected as provincial president Jammu. Apart from this, sixteen district presidents of the organisation were also announced on this occasion by the chairman who have been authorized to constitute the further units of the organisation at block levels.
While thanking the Panchayat members for reposing their faith in him, Shafiq Mir gave the details of the achievements of Panchayat conference led by him in the past five years of its tenure.
Mir said that it was only the efforts of Panchayat conference due to which the Panchayat elections were held in the state of Jammu and Kashmir despite opposition of all political parties which never wanted such institution to come up in the state. ” Even the previous state government had completely destroyed the Panchayati Raj act by making some amendments due to which the Sarpanch election was completely deleted from the act .
We took up this matter with the central government and got amendment made in the act through governor’s ordinance. This is major achievement of Panchayat conference”, Said Mir adding that it was only the efforts of Panchayat conference and the initiative of the central government that these elections could be possible. He said the honorarium given to the Panchayat members is also achievement of the Panchayat conference efforts done during the previous government. He assured the Panchayat members that their organisation will continue its efforts for strengthening this institution and its empowerment. Castigating all the political parties, Shafiq Mir said that those political parties which were against these elections on the pretext of situation of the state are now demanding the holding of assembly elections which shows that they were only against the Panchayat elections and never wanted to share the powers at grass root level. Terming these elections historical, Mir said that despite the poll boycott by all major political parties, the huge participation of the people shows that the majority of the people in the state want democracy at grass root level and these elections are a message for the central government that people want empowerment at grass root level and government of India must empower this institution . Urging the Panchayat members to work tirelessly for the people who elected them, newly elected chairman said that Panchayat conference will do all efforts to get PRI act implemented in the state with letter and spirit. He also asked the Panchayat leaders to remain away from the political parties as they have been elected as an independent institution.
