Amarnath yatra will be conducted as before: Patil

Zeenews Bureau Srinagar, Aug 10:

Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Sunday called for maintaining communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir, in view of the ongoing protests on the Amarnath land transfer issue. Stressing that the controversial land transfer issue can be resolved through dialogue, Patil assured that the Amarnath yatra will be conducted the way it was before. Patil made the remarks at a press conference held after an all-party meet in Srinagar. An all-party delegation is in the state to try and find a solution to the ongoing crisis which has led to violence in Jammu as well as Kashmir. The all-party meet in Srinagar came after yesterday’s talks with the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS) in Jammu. The all-party meet in Srinagar was chaired by Patil and attended by Arun Jaitley (BJP), Amar Singh (Samajwadi Party), former J&K Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, and Saifuddin Soz and Mohsina Kidwai (both Congress) besides local Kashmiri leaders. In the meeting with leaders of SASS, which is spearheading the agitation in Jammu, no headway was made as Samiti leaders stuck to their demand for restoration of land to Amarnath Shrine Board and removal of Governor N N Vohra. While Patil had yesterday given an assurance that their demands would be looked into, the Samiti had rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's call for suspension of agitation. Hectic behind the scene activities had preceded the talks with the Samiti refusing to talk to the all-party delegation due to the presence of three Kashmiri leaders – Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Saifuddin Soz. They had relented after the three leaders along with Vohra kept away from the talks, saying they would not like to be a hurdle.


But what about the 100 acres land, Mr. Patil? Why can't the temple have a title to the land? Should the title to all of Jammu and Kashmir be given to the separatists on a platter?