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Patil: Centre for amicable solution

Luv Puri

Kashmir leaders stay away, samithi ends boycott

All-party delegation to continue talks
Main demand remains: samithi

Jammu: As the deadlock over the Amarnath land row continued, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Saturday said the Central government was keen on a solution which satisfied the people of both Jammu and the Kashmir Valley.

“The entire political spectrum wants a solution, which does not disturb the peace and stability of the country,” Mr. Patil, heading the all-party delegation, said after day-long, inconclusive talks with political parties, members of civil society and Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samithi (SASS) representatives.

At the moment, establishing peace was a priority, he said and defended the deployment of a large number of Army personnel on this count.

He appealed to civil society to realise the fact that only through dialogue could an amicable solution be reached. “We met 15 delegations. Talks will continue as only through a process of dialogue a solution acceptable to all parties can be agreed upon.” The Central and State governments would both provide relief to the dependents of those killed in the agitation, he promised.

The SASS changed its position that it would not talk to the delegation late in the evening after its principal objection was met.

The Samithi, spearheading the protests over the land transfer controversy, had said that it would not meet the delegation if National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leader Saifuddin Soz were part of it. The delegation met this demand and all three stayed away.

The Samithi and the delegation had an hour-long meeting but there was no immediate result. It was agreed that the dialogue should continue.

“We have presented our agenda to the delegation and our main demand that the land should be restored remains. Our agitation will continue,” Leela Karan Sharma, convener of the SASS told reporters after the meeting.

“They just listened to our demand and no fresh proposals were made,” he added.

PTI reports:

The separatists in the Kashmir Valley threatened to stage a march to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Monday with fruit-laden trucks to sell their produce.

“Our fruit is rotting due to the economic blockade by Jammu agitators,” chairman of the Hurriyat Conference faction Syed Ali Shah Geelani told reporters in Srinagar.

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