Shopian, June 10: A Sarpanch from this South Kashmir district has tendered resignation to ensure “safety” of his family. This comes in the wake of resignation already tendered by over a dozen elected Panchs and Sarpanchs following “threats to them by militant outfits.”
 Ghulam Hyder Wagay, the Sarpanch from Halqa Zawoora Baderhama has put in his papers and claimed ‘no affiliation’ with any mainstream party at a local news agency for favour of publishing the same in local dailies in the form of an advertisement.
 “Due to some engagements at my home I will not be able to fulfill the responsibilities of a Sarpanch,” the resignation paper reads.
 Moreover, Wagay has a message for other elected representatives too: “The said post is a sheer wastage of time and would fetch you nothing except putting the lives of your family members at stake.  So I am resigning from the elected post,” the paper reads.
 The resignation requests people to stop visiting his home with regard to any work related to Panchayats as “I am not in any way directly or directly associated with the post or any party.”
 Earlier, on Friday around 13 resignations and notices of no-affiliation of Sarpanchs and Panchs including women members appeared in local newspapers in the shape of advertisements.
 The notices followed threats to them by militant outfits on posters pasted on electric poles, walls of Masjids and in public places in different villages of Pulwama and Shopian districts of South Kashmir.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST