JK govt makes U-turn on panchayat polls; calls for all-party

Making an about-turn over its decision to hold panchayat polls in the state next month, the Jammu and Kashmir government today decided to call an all-party meet before making a final announcement on the matter.
The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting held here, Abdul Rehman Veeri, parliamentary affairs minister, informed the legislative council.
Abdul Haq Khan, state rural development minister, will call an all-party meeting and discuss the issue with the leaders of all political parties, Veeri said.
The state government had decided on December 26 last year to hold the much-awaited panchayat elections from February 15, after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti held a meeting with Governor N N Vohra.

Two days later, separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, in a joint statement, called for a boycott of the panchayat elections.
The militant-outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, had last month threatened to pour acid on the eyes of those who took part in the elections.