SRINAGAR, June 10: The Jammu and Kashmir government has said that it is working on the security concerns of panchayat members in the Valley in the wake of suspected militant threats to them.
“We are alive to their security concerns…Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has directed DGP to look into the matter, especially in south Kashmir areas,” Panchayati Raj minister Ali Mohammad Sagar said.
Security forces were on job to track down the elements behind the threats, he said.
Around 12 panchayat members in Shopian and Pulwama districts of south Kashmir announced their reignations through advertisements in newspapers afters posters claming to be from militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad asked panches and sarpanches to resign from their posts or face “dire consequences”.
Sagar said the government has so far received resignation of seven panches and sarpanches.
“There is nothing like mass resignation happening here. Just seven panchayat members (of over 33,000) have submitted their resignation and we are even looking at the causes behind these cases…there can be some mischief involved,” he said.
Asked if the government will provide security cover to individual panchayat members, Sagar said it was not possible to do so for such a large number of people.
“However, we will make all efforts to improve the general security situation wherever these incidents have been reported from,” he said.
(Agencies)
