Panchayat members resign in droves

TRAL (PULWAMA): Fresh violence and a series of killings, in South Kashmir’s Awantipora and Tral towns, have provoked resignations by the local faces of top politicians. Posters have been found in villages, threatening “dire consequences” against the participation in elections.

Although violence and killings have so far been limited to Pulwama district, the entire South Kashmir appears in a grip of fear as the vulnerable low-rung activists of pro-election parties such as NC and PDP are running for their lives. Elections for the South Kashmir’s lone parliament seat are due on Thursday. During this first phase of poll in Kashmir Valley, the opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti will take on Mehboob Beg of National Conference, with a sprinkle of candidates offering chance of swing.

In past week unknown gunmen have killed at least four political activists three of whom were village heads locally called as Sarpanches.

Panicked after the latest shootout in Tral, which claimed two village heads and a young boy, dozens of vulnerable panchayat members from various villages in South Kashmir Tuesday put in their papers. Scores others have announced their resignation through loudspeakers of mosques.

In Tral, where village head and a Sarpanch along with his son were killed late Monday night, more han two dozen Sarpanches and Panches tendered their resignation before local administrators, a newsathering CNS reported Tuesday. The report suggests that 25 village representatives including six women from Batagund Tral, Amlar and Malangpora announced their resignation by using public adess system in their respective areas.

“I had contested Panchayat election with a view to work for the development of my area and help the poor. Unknown gunmen are on killing spree and I fear for my life. I appeal people not to approach me or visit my home as I have decided to part ways from all the pro-India politicians and their parties,” says Ali Muhammad Bhat, a visibly frightened Sarpanch from Malangpora Awantipora . His town saw a spurt in violence and murders past week.

Reports said that five village representatives quit the post in Batagund Tral Halqa. They have been identified as Ghulam Rasool Bhat, Muhammad Akram Sofi, Shafiqa Banoo and Sarwa Begam.

The village representatives from Amlar village of Tral who tendered their resignation before the local officials  are Hameeda Begum, Nasima Begam, Ghulam Qadir Khanday, Muhammad Maqbool Khanday, Muhammad Afzal Mir, Jalaludin Rather, Muhammad Jabar Ganaie, Manzoor Ahmed Dar and Muhammad Ismail.

From Malangpora Halqa, six village representatives declared their resignation. They are Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Ali Muhammd Bhat, Muhammad Sabzar Bhat, Shameema Bano, Dilshada Bano and Abdul Aziz Bhat.

Three village representatives from Gulshanpora Tral identified as Jang Bahadur Singh, Mushtaq Ahmed Gojri and Abdul Rehman Wani also resigned from the posts.

Meanwhile, National Conference Halka President for Charsoo Pulwama, Abdul Khaliq Wani also tendered his resignation on Tuesday.

Giving reasons, Wani said, “I feel scared. I don’t want to lose my life for politics. I don’t want to become a scapegoat for the conflict between political rivals and let announce that I quit politics forever.”

Thousands of Sarpanches have been demanding security for many years now. The panchayat elections were held in Kashmir in 2011  after a 10 year long break with a record 80% turnout.  Around 34,000 representatives were elected in the election which is only the third in 34-year-old history of panchayat polls in the state. These apparently unglamorous politicians have not yet been protected against the killing spree, which even the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has doubted as political sabotage rather than militant activity.

Meanwhile posters, threatening against participation in elections, were noticed in Tral. The posters, written in Urdu, are being attributed to Lashkar-e-Toibah but the outfit is yet to verify the claim.

The posters, appearing at many walls and electric poles in South Kashmir’s Pampore, Khrew, Kakapora, Wuyen, Alochi Bagh, Chandhara, Anos and Lelhar areas on Tuesday. Through these posters the militants have allegedly asked the people to refrain from visiting police and army camps and urged them to stay away from election process.

“Lashkar-e-Taiba does not need any introduction. Keeping in view the anti-freedom movement activities we want to warn the people of dire consequences who visit police stations and army camps and persuade others to follow suit,” reads the poster.

As per the poster, LeT has urged the people not to support any political leader and have asked them to stay away from electoral process.

“We request people to make the movement of Kashmir successful. There are some people who are acting as the agents of government of India. These people are weakening the movement for their personal gains. We warn them”..

Following the killings, these posters have further frightened the local voices of pro-India parties. A top police official, however, said the veracity of these posters was being ascertained as similar posters in past turned had turned out to be a hoax.

A Peoples Democratic Party Sarpanch who survived a bid on his life in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday evening is reportedly refusing to leave the police station where he took shelter after giving a slip to his assailants.

Sarpanch Bashir Ahmad Malik resident of Hakerpora who is a PDP Sarpanch said he was on way to his home when some unknown persons shouted at him and directed him to stop. “They spoke in Urdu and shouted at me, ‘ruko, ruko’ (stop). I fled from there and they fired two bullets at me. I called police station Kakapora and later policemen escorted me to the polcie station,” Malik said.

“I am not going to leave police station till security is not provided to me. I feel unsafe and fear for my life. Police station is the only place where I feel safe,” CNS quoted Malik as said over phone from the police station.

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