LOCAL PRESSURES

Grass root level political workers affiliated with different political parties and elected panchayat members are facing difficult times on ground while functioning in Kashmir valley.

A recent window to such conditions was created in the media when three members of the same family working for BJP as local leaders of Bandipora district were killed by militants despite having ten PSO’s, which forced vulnerable local leaders to leave their villages. It was followed by the kidnapping of another BJP local leader from Dangiwacha Rafiabad who was subsequently rescued by police.

While the senior police officers claim that they are busy in counter insurgency operations to provide a safe atmosphere to grass root political leaders, most of them have migrated in the recent past from safe and violence free villages also.

Earlier such migration was witnessed in only South Kashmir as it was witnessing more and more militants and their activities.

The JK administration seems to be working to make areas militancy free so that political activities can be taken up by the people without any fear, is the claim of local administration. Such claims have been made in the past also but despite having zero militancy in many areas, the element of fear and capability of militants to strike was never blunted.

In such a situation, it is the duty and responsibility of administration of Jammu and Kashmir to provide all help, helping hand and responsive officers to panchayats so that they can function.