Suspected militants shot dead a sarpanch affiliated with the opposition PDP at Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district late on Thursday evening, police said.
Militants fired upon Mohammad Amin Pandit, resident of Gulzarpora outside his residence at around 9:30 pm. Pandit was shifted to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Pandit, according to the Anil Sharma, the president of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), is the eighth panch member killed so far by militants. After the panchayat elections held in 2011, after a gap of over 20 years, in Jammu & Kashmir, elected village representatives, including sarpanchs and panchs, have been targeted by separatists. The representatives have been demanding security from the state government.
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the PDP and the candidate for the south Kashmir parliamentary constituency blamed the National Conference for instigating the killing of the sarpanch.
Mehbooba said that NC patron Farooq Abdullah is issuing irresponsible statements. “National Conference President Farooq Abdullah’s statement on Thursday that if he had resources, he would carry out attacks on PDP leaders needs to be investigated,” she said.
Junaid Matto, spokesman of NC said while reacting to the allegations of Mehbooba Mufti: “We respect the sanctity of every human life and we want an independent enquiry in to the killing of the sarpanch. No statement made by Farooq Abdullah would have instigated the attack on the sarpanch. We all are hurt and grieved by the killing of the sarpanch, whether belonging to any political party.”
While condemning the brutal killing of Pandit, AJKPC called it a desperate attempt by militants who are hell bent to derail the electioneering process. Sharma said, “We share the grief of the family of the martyr sarpanch, the killings of innocent panchayat members depicts the frustration of these anti-democratic forces who otherwise have failed to mark their presence in Jammu &s Kashmir.”
Militants fired upon Mohammad Amin Pandit, resident of Gulzarpora outside his residence at around 9:30 pm. Pandit was shifted to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Pandit, according to the Anil Sharma, the president of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), is the eighth panch member killed so far by militants. After the panchayat elections held in 2011, after a gap of over 20 years, in Jammu & Kashmir, elected village representatives, including sarpanchs and panchs, have been targeted by separatists. The representatives have been demanding security from the state government.
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the PDP and the candidate for the south Kashmir parliamentary constituency blamed the National Conference for instigating the killing of the sarpanch.
Mehbooba said that NC patron Farooq Abdullah is issuing irresponsible statements. “National Conference President Farooq Abdullah’s statement on Thursday that if he had resources, he would carry out attacks on PDP leaders needs to be investigated,” she said.
Junaid Matto, spokesman of NC said while reacting to the allegations of Mehbooba Mufti: “We respect the sanctity of every human life and we want an independent enquiry in to the killing of the sarpanch. No statement made by Farooq Abdullah would have instigated the attack on the sarpanch. We all are hurt and grieved by the killing of the sarpanch, whether belonging to any political party.”
While condemning the brutal killing of Pandit, AJKPC called it a desperate attempt by militants who are hell bent to derail the electioneering process. Sharma said, “We share the grief of the family of the martyr sarpanch, the killings of innocent panchayat members depicts the frustration of these anti-democratic forces who otherwise have failed to mark their presence in Jammu &s Kashmir.”
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