Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh to visit Jammu and Kashmir; Village heads give in to militant threats; Police detain separatist leaders in Shopian
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  • (JUNE 4-10)

    Reports noted that in his first visit as Army Chief, Gen Bikram Singh will travel to Jammu and Kashmir later June to review the security situation in the state. The Army Chief will visit the state in the third week of June, 2012 where he will discuss the security situation with top commanders in Jammu and Kashmir. During the visit to the formations under the Northern Command Headquarters in Udhampur, the Army Chief will be briefed about the prevailing situation there. His visit is coming at a time when the violence levels in the state have come down significantly and demands are being made for the withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). 1

    According to reports, in a fresh challenge for the state government, more than a dozen elected members for Panchayats including some women tendered their resignation on 8 June, 2012 and publicized their non-affiliation with mainstream political parties through local newspapers. The development follows repeated threats being dished out by militants to the elected Panchs and Sarpanchs. A militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) earlier this week warned elected rural body members to resign within a week's time. The threats appeared on outfit’s posters pasted on the electricity poles, walls of mosques and shops in public places in different villages of Pulwama and Shopian districts in South Kashmir. 2

    In other developments, according to reports, Police on June 8, 2012, detained many separatist leaders including Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Javaid Mir, Zafar Akbar Bhat, Yasmeen Raja and others in South Kashmir. They were returning to Srinagar after addressing a public gathering at Shopian. 3

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