Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 22: Six Panchayat members today resigned in the South Kashmir district of Shopian in a Local Masjid after fresh militant threats.
Sarpanch Ghulam Mohammad Shah and Panchs Bashir Ahmad Gania, Fayaz Ahmad Ganai, Javed Ahmad Bhat, Shabnam Akhtar and Naseema Bano today announced their resignation in Jamia Masjid of village Ayand Rawalpora in South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Sarpanch Shah said that on Wednesday night three militants barged into his house and threatened his family. “They had asked the family members for my resignation and threatened of dire consequences in case I failed to comply”, he added.
“The militants also went to the house of other Panchs in the village and threatened them individually”, said Shah. He said that militants also broke the street lights of the village before threatening them.
Shah said that they were three militants who were carrying weapons and threatened the Panchayat members of the village.
While announcing their dis-association from Panchayats, these Panchayat members said that they are no more affiliated to the Panchayats. They also told people in the Masjid that they are no more associated with any political party.
The resignations in Shopian took place after last month resignation wave in North Kashmir’s Sopore areas. Over 1600 Pachayat members resigned since the elections to the Panachayat that were held in 2011 between April and June.
Over 33,000 Sarpanchs and Panchs were elected in these elections in the State that were held after a gap of 34 years. Despite militant threats a record of over 80 per cent people voted in these grass root level democratic institutions.
Army and police are patrolling in sensitive areas of Kashmir valley to give a sense security to the Panchayat members after militant threats in which 4 Panchayat members were killed for last over a year.
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