Panchayat members will not bow before LeT's threats: AJKPC

The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today said that panchayat members of the state would not give in to the threats of militants whatever the consequences.
"We categorically refuse to succumb before any pressure or dictate of militants whatever the consequences will be," AJKPC chairman Shafiq Mir said here today.
He was referring to the latest threat of Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) to panchayat members and other main stream leaders of the state to shun their political activities.
LeT's hand-written posters in Urdu had come up on the walls in downtown areas of Srinagar yesterday threatening panchayat members and leaders of main stream parties to tender their resignations within one week through newspapers or mosques or prepare for serious consequences.

Stressing that its the state government's responsibility to provide security to panchayat members, Mir described the threat as a "cowardice act".
He said that such acts and activities of militants would never weaken their resolve and stand for democracy but on contrary it would expose the militants in front of the world.

Mir also accused the Centre and the state government of not making proper security arrangements for the safety of panchayat members in the state.
"We have already lost six panchayat members and dozens were injured in various such attacks but government has not taken any step to protect them," Mir said.

AJKPC General Secretary Imtiyaz Afzal Beigh also condemned the state government's casual approach for doing nothing for the security of the elected panchayat members.
"We are not scared of threats... We are in the democratic process just to serve the masses and have nothing to do with the larger political Kashmir-issue. Those who are issuing these diktats are selectively choosing helpless targets just to mark their presence," Beigh said.
He said that though last year AJKPC president Anil Sharma (then General Secretary) had written to the DGP of state police for providing security to panchayat members no action has been taken.