Demanding security force political workers of all mainstream parties, who are facing threat, the Jammu and Kashmir unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said they are upholding democracy in the Union Territory.

The statement comes just days after a BJP leader, his father and brother were killed in a militant attack in north Kashmir district of Bandipora. As many as 10 Personal Security Officers (PSOs), who were guarding BJP leader, have been dismissed for negligence of duty and taken into custody.

BJP’s J&K unit president Ravinder Raina said Sarpanches and heads of local bodies should also be provided security. “Pakistan wants to destroy the democratic process in J&K by such actions,” Mr Raina told reporters here on Friday on the sidelines of a function at BJP headquarters.

He said it is very important to provide security to political workers of all the political parties -- NC, the PDP, the Congress or the BJP -- who have threat perception as those who participate in the democratic process make the democracy and law of the land stronger.

Mr Raina also paid tributes to BJP leader Wasim Bari, who was killed alongwith his father and brother by militants in Bandipora on Wednesday. “These killings took place on the behest of Pakistan. It is responsible for the killing of over one lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 30 to 35 years,” he said.

These killings, he said show how frustrated Pakistan and militants have become as the popularity of BJP is increasing and people are joining the party in the valley. “Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have vowed to destroy Kashmir and their handlers in Pakistan want to convert the valley into a graveyard,” he said.  

However, he said security forces and the people of J&K will not allow it to succeed. “The J&K people are Indians by heart… they are nationalists and I salute them for keeping the national flag flying high here,” he added.