By IANS,
Jammu: The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference, a body of elected village heads in the state, has issued a day’s ultimatum to the government to clarify its stand on their security in the wake of militant threats.
“This is not a small matter” as Syed Salauddin, chairman of the United Jihad Council, has warned that militants “will continue to target” panches and sarpanches, Shafiq Mir, president of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference, said.
“The government should tell us within 24 hours what measures it is taking for our security,” he said.
Mir said panches and sarpanches kept democracy alive at the grassroots level.
“If the state government and the government of India do not want this, they should tell us in clear terms,” he said.
Ten panchayat members, including panches and sarpanches, have been killed by militants in the state since June 2011.