BJP demands security for political workers facing threats in Jammu & Kashmir

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Friday demanded security for political workers of different parties who are facing threats, asserting that they are upholding democracy in the union territory. It said sarpanches and heads of local bodies should also be provided the security cover as Pakistan wants to "destroy" the democratic process in J and K.

"It is very important to provide security to all the active political workers of all the political parties -- be it the NC, the PDP, the Congress or the the BJP -- who have threat perception," BJP's J and K unit president Ravinder Raina said here.

"Those who participate in the democratic process make the democracy and law of the land stronger," he added.


Raina was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at the party headquarters here.

The BJP leader paid tributes to party leader Wasim Bari who was killed by militants in Bandipora district along with his brother and father on Wednesday.

"These killings took place on the directions of Pakistan. Pakistan has killed innocent people in Kashmir. It is responsible for the killing of over one lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 30-35 years," he said.

Raina said Pakistan and militants have sinned by carrying out these killings and "they will have to pay for it".

"Pakistan, terrorists and separatists have become frustrated because of the increasing number of people in the valley associating themselves with the BJP and so they are killing people. "Lashkar (e-Toiba), Jaish (e-Mohammad) and Hizbul (Mujahideen) have vowed to destroy Kashmir, and Pakistan wants to make Kashmir a graveyard and shed blood here, but we will not allow it to succeed in its plans. The people of JK are Indians by heart, they are nationalists and I salute them for keeping the national flag flying here," he said.

Meanwhile, All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference president Anil Sharma also demanded security for political workers, especially for the panchayat members, in the union territory.

"We appeal the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to provide security to our people (panchayat members) so that they can work freely at the ground level because it is the Panchayat Raj Institutions which are working at the grass-roots level in the absence of the assembly," Sharma told reporters here.