Panchayat body slams J-K govt on security issue

Panchayat leaders in Jammu and Kashmir today accused the state government of ignoring their security needs and said they would have no option but to resign in the event of a militant attack on any of them.
Expressing serious concern over increase in militant attacks in the state, the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) announced a 72-hour hunger strike from tomorrow to protest the state government's "failure to provide security" to them.
"If anything untoward happens to any of the panchayat members, AJKPC members will not have any other option but to quit and the responsibility (would) lie with the state government, particularly Chief Minister Omar Abdullah," AJKPC spokesperson Ghulam Hassan Punzoo said.

"The government is spending crores of rupees on security for separatist leaders but has made no such arrangement for panchayat leaders," he told reporters here, adding that despite repeated requests, both the state and the Centre have not taken any steps regarding panchayat leaders' security.
Punzoo said he had to take shelter in a police station in Hindwara area for two weeks due to a threat to his life from militants but even that had not led to the government providing security for him.