Sir,
The burning of various panchayat buildings in Kashmir valley by militants as a mark of protest against Local Bodies and Panchayati elections is quite disturbing. It is not mere loss of money but a setback to bring democracy at grass root level. The buildings are symbols of peace and prosperity. Expectations of local people are attached with them as these are a source of their empowerment. The places in India where PRIs have been functioning smoothly have witnessed great development of their areas. The unemployed got employment to meet their both ends meet. Holding elections for these institutions is quite important for development of rural areas of Kashmir which have remained undeveloped due to militancy for the last 30 years.
The Kashmir issue should not be tagged with these institutions. Common man’s interest can’t be held ransom to this issue. Commonman has suffered much, and do not make him suffer more.
Mushtaq Ahmed
Pulwama Kmr
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