Omar plays down threat by Hizbul chief to Panches, Sarpanches

"We never said that we will provide security to each and every panch and sarpanch-- we had said that whenever there is a threat assessment and we feel that there is need to do more -- we will do that", Omar told reporters here today.

The chief minister, who kick-started the reopening of the bi-annual Darbar Move offices, including Civil Secretariat, Raj Bhavan and state Legislature, in the state winter capital Jammu, was replying to a volley of questions about the threat given by the Hizb Chief to Panchayat members and whether the government intended to provide security to all the panches and sarpanches in the state.

There are nearly 4,000 sarpanches and 29,000 panches in Jammu and Kashmir.

"...Each of us know that today's situation in J-K (is very conducive and peaceful)-- there is no militancy in most areas of Jammu-- so there is no threat to panches and sarpanches", Omar said.

"In Jammu region, there are three districts where there will be presence of around 30-40 militants-- not more than that-- in this situation there is no question of providing security to each and every panch and sarpanch", he said.

"As far as Kashmir is concerned, there are some areas which are militancy affected-- where central and state intelligence agencies will do on-ground threat perception assessments-- after that if we have to take further steps-- we will take them but it will not be made public", the Chief Minister said.

Omar said, "Nothing has changed since the previous attacks. In terms of what Syed Sallah-ud-Din has said regarding Panchayati Raj Institutes-- unfortunately his own tune has changed (on issuing threats to panches and sarpanches)".

"If I remember correctly after the first few phases of (panchayat) elections, he (Sallah-ud-Din) was the one who said that there will be no threats made to the panches and sarpanches and elections will go ahead without any sort of threat", the Chief Minister said. MORE