Jammu and Kashmir panchayat elections: Mehbooba Mufti to chair all-party meet on polls, says Abdul Haq

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir minister Abdul Haq Khan said Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti would chair an all-party meeting to seek views of all political parties in the state on the upcoming Panchayat elections. [caption id=“attachment_4059109” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. PTI[/caption] The minister told the state Assembly that the decision was taken on suggestions by leaders of various parties. The issue of convening the all-party meet was taken up in a cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister earlier this week. The state government had decided to hold the panchayat elections from 15 February after Mufti held a meeting with Governor NN Vohra in December last year. 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 elections. Militant-outfit Hizbul Mujahideen had last month threatened to throw acid on those who participated in it.