Condemning government apathy towards a female panchayat member who was attacked by militants in Sopore earlier this year, All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today sought the Prime Minister's intervention in her treatment.
Accusing the Omar Abdullah-led dispensation of making false claims about empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the state, AJKPC general secretary Anil Sharma said "Jammu and Kashmir government has been making false claims about their resolve to empower PRIs."
"The way in which both Omar Abdullah and state minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar ignored the panchayat member, is condemnable," he said.
The organisation appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who are scheduled to visit the state tomorrow, to intervene in the matter and requested them to provide the member with best possible treatment.
Zona Begum, an elected representative from Hardshiva village in Sopore was brutally attacked by unidentified gunmen outside her house in January this year and the 40-year-old is still undergoing treatment at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) hospital in Srinagar.
"The woman panchayat member has lost her right eye in the attack. Both Omar and Sagar had paid a visit to her after severe criticism from panchayat representatives and civil society and had promised all help, but according to distressed family members, the state government has so far not provided any treatment," Sharma added.
