Termed Kashmir a dispute, held mainstream parties responsible for killings
Demanded probe, threaten mass resignation
Srinagar: Panchayat representatives Sunday stated that they will go for the mass resignation if they are perceived as an obstacle in the resolution of Kashmir issue.
According to the KNS correspondent, the members of the Panchayat while holding the mainstream parties responsible for the killing of Panches and Sarpanches in the recent past, accused that if guilty are not brought to book, they will go for resignation en-masse.
“We want a thorough investigation into the matter and want guilty to be punished. We are protesting so that the persons involved in the killing of our colleagues are punished at the earliest,” said Khurshid Malik general secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Association.
“National Conference (NC) is saying that People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is behind the killings and PDP alleges that NC was doing it. We feel they all are killing us together,” said Khurshid, adding that by the criminal silence of the mainstream parties, it is being felt that we are being used.
The Panchayat members further stated that Kashmir is a dispute and that they are the stakeholders like other people of Kashmir. “We have been elected as the representatives for the social services and 85 percent of people participated in those elections.”
They stated further that if the guilty are not punished and a thorough probe is not ordered, they will boycott the forth coming elections. “We will not vote in the elections nor will we allow anyone to go near to the polling booth.” They added that they in the near future will hold a detailed meet with Kashmir’s pro-freedom camp so that we could get some help from them for holding the killers of the Panches and Sarpanches accountable.
Khurshid said Panchayat members were ready to resign en masse, but had decided to hold deliberations with separatist leaders to clear their stand. “We are ready to go for en masse resignation, but before that we are going to meet separatist leaders. We have formed a six-member committee. We will go to them and clear our stand. We will tell them that we are not a hurdle to the Kashmir issue,” Malik said.
Few days back, the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference demanded the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the killings of Panchayat members in the state. In the latest case, a panchayat member was shot dead by militants in Kulgam district last Thursday. He said panchayat members were ready to resign en masse,but had decided to hold deliberations with separatist leaders to clear their stand. “We are ready to go for en masse resignation, but before that we are going to meet separatist leaders. We have formed a six-member committee. We will go to them and clear our stand. We will tell them that we are not a hurdle to the Kashmir issue,” Malik said.
Few days back, the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference demanded the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the killings of Panchayat members in the state. In the latest case, a panchayat member was shot dead by militants in Kulgam district last Thursday.